The Times-Picayune 08-24-2026 by The Advocate

These Saints have inside track to make roster 1C

N O L A.C O M

M o n d ay, au g u s t 24, 2026

An empty lot is advertised for sale along Beach Boulevard in Long Beach, Miss., on Friday, nearly 21 years after Hurricane Katrina made landfall. STAFF PHOTOS By DAVID GRUNFELD

VACANT REMINDERS 21 years after Hurricane Katrina, dozens of empty lots still linger along Mississippi beachfront

$2.00X

Misuse of Flock cameras raises questions Technology accused of being tool for mass surveillance

BY LARA NICHOLSON and SOPHIE KASAKOVE Staff writers

A lot sits empty 20 years after Hurricane Katrina made landfall along Beach Boulevard in Biloxi, Miss., on Friday. BY MARTHA SANCHEZ Staff writer

Along Mississippi’s coastal highway, between new homes built high above the old flood lines, scars of a storm two decades past still endure. Dozens of beachfront lots wiped bare by Hurricane Katrina remain empty except for grass and encroaching weeds. In some spots, the remnants of former driveways off U.S. 90 lead nowhere. And for-sale signs keep beckoning new buyers. New Orleans native Gregory Bertucci, 78, has

been trying to sell his waterfront lot in Gulfport that was once the site of his eye clinic for more than a decade. He has ﬁelded some interest over the years — from churches, a casino and even a drive-thru Starbucks — but nothing stuck. “We don’t know what to do with it,” he said. The vacant lots that line Mississippi’s Gulf Coast are a somber reminder of Katrina’s ruins across this region, where soaring insurance rates and new rules about building elevations have forever changed the once-packed stretch of U.S. 90.

Iran official: Support for new sanctions would be ‘act of war’ New U.S. measures anticipated By The Associated Press The new head of Iran’s top security body warned Sunday that Tehran will see any country’s support for new U.S. economic measures against the Islamic Republic as an “act of war,” while Iran’s president defended a memorandum of understanding with the United States as the best way out of the stalled conﬂict.

WEATHER HIGH 96 LOW 78 PAGE 6B

CO ONFLICT

U . S . Tr e a sury Secretary Scott Bessent on Monday is expected to announce the new measures after the U.S. vowed to impose an “unprecedented” level of economic warfare and isolation on a country that has lived for decades under sanctions. The hard line leader of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, Mohsen Rezaei, issued

IN THE T MIIDDLE EAST AST

ä See IRAN, page 4A

26-mile stretch of beach highway. 59 Real estate agents say 10 Biloxi beachfront lots are beginning to sell at a faster pace. Waveland Many gleaming new homes 10 The Gulf 90 are rising on pilings more LA. than 20 feet off the ground. A few waterfront hotels Stretch of some Lake have also recently opened Borgne beachfront lots or are under construction. vacant since And a $105 million mixedKatrina use development at a longStaff map vacant corner in downtown Gulfport is expected to But as a surge of wealthy open next year. Similar scenes of hope newcomers arrive in coastal Mississippi from Louisi- and struggle are unfolding ana and around the country, across all of the Gulf Coast some signs of change are ä See VACANT, page 4A at last emerging along the

MISS.

Across the New Orleans area, a camera network has quietly sprouted at major roadways, neighborhood entrances and private businesses in recent years that can use artificial intelligence to identify and catalog cars from their license plates down to details like dent marks and bumper stickers. Law enforcement agencies say the cameras, from the Atlanta-based company Flock, have been vital in helping catch suspects and solving crimes both locally and across state lines, as agencies can access any camera in Flock’s nationwide network. But the vehicle recognition technology has become a source of national controversy in recent weeks, as critics call the cameras a tool for mass surveillance and new allegations emerge of officers misusing them for unethical — or in some cases criminal — purposes. That controversy arrived at the door of the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office last week after it terminated one of its deputies, Nathan Rome, for using Flock cameras to search his ex-fiancée’s whereabouts, like whether she had made it home from work, more than 5,000 times over a couple years, according to the agency. The Sheriff’s Office

ä See CAMERAS, page 5A

STAFF PHOTO By BRETT DUKE

An automated license plate reader camera is seen along Veterans Boulevard in Metairie on Wednesday.

Prosecutors say web of companies used to hide staged wrecks scheme Man accused of coordinating ‘slammers’ BY JAMES FINN Staff writer

Out of prison and stripped of his law license, Sean Alfortish still had a plan to cash in on New Orleans’ booming personal injury scene. The year was 2016, and the former Kenner city judge was fresh off 28 months in a federal lockup for defrauding a group that represents racehorse owners. He’d been disbarred. So Alfortish set up a workaround: a cluster of

businesses that would place him Federal prosecutors say the squarely in the world of companies became avpersonal injury litigation, enues for massive fraud, even if not the courtrooms raking in millions and themselves, federal proshelping to propel a conecutors allege. spiracy that engulfed New One firm he owned, AfOrleans’ civil courts in bofiliated Management, congus lawsuits. Hundreds of pages of nected people who’d been financial records and tesin truck wrecks with at- Alfortish torneys who promised timony delivered in Alto secure hefty lawsuit payouts. fortish’s ongoing trial for fraud Another, Total Medical Concepts, and murder shed new light on the financed claimants’ medical pro- system he’s accused of building to cedures; so did a Nevada-based facilitate, and conceal, a sweeping company called MedPort, which plot that appears as lucrative as it records show paid Alfortish hand- was risky. Through the JA Trust and Affilisome commissions as a contractor. An entity called the JA Trust ated Management, Alfortish cut held stakes in his other firms, ä See ‘SLAMMERS’, page 5A drawing a share of their revenues.

Classified .....................7D Deaths .........................3B Nation-World................2A Comics-Puzzles .....3D-6D Living............................1D Opinion ........................4B Commentary ................5B Metro ...........................1B Sports ..........................1C

14TH yEAR, NO. 12

2A ✦ Monday, August 24, 2026 ✦ nola.com ✦ The Times-Picayune

BRIEFS

FROM WIRE REPORTS

Trump waves green flag to start the IndyCar race

WASHINGTON — For once, things were moving fast in the nation’s capital. Washington was hosting an IndyCar race through its streets Sunday, with President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump kicking off the Freedom 250 Grand Prix by leading a slow lap in the presidential limousine through the course. Soon after, the president waved the green flag to start the race and drivers began whipping through downtown, including a stretch along Pennsylvania Avenue not too far from the White House. “I’m going to make a little circle in a nice, secure car, slightly slower than the ones we’re going to witness, but we’re going to have fun,” Trump said in an interview on Fox shortly before the ride. The open-wheel race, with cars whizzing past Washington’s monuments at speeds approaching 200 mph, is the latest of Trump’s celebrations this year to mark America’s 250th birthday. Trump’s other events to mark the semiquincentennial of the Declaration of Independence’s signing have included a UFC fight on the White House lawn, military aircraft flyovers, a massive July Fourth fireworks show on the National Mall and a Great American State Fair that the president headlined after scores of ’90s-era musical acts dropped out. The events have all had a Trumpian flair, featuring appearances from his friends and the aim of showcasing spectacle, Americana and power. Sunday included some of Trump’s favorite flourishes. One of his favorite singers, tenor Christopher Macchio, performed, “The Star-Spangled Banner.” A trained bald eagle was dramatically released near the start line, and it swooped and flew overhead before returning to its handler.

Landslide at Guinea landfill kills 30

CONAKRY, Guinea — A mountainous heap of refuse collapsed at the largest landfill in Guinea’s capital Conakry early Sunday killing 30 people, according to an updated toll released by the central government. Authorities said heavy rains, which started at around 2 a.m. washed over the refuse at Dar Es Salam, triggering a landslide that buried nearby shacks. A search and rescue operation was underway to find survivors. Six people were seriously injured and several homes were destroyed. The site, an open-air waste dump which is the largest in the city, had been designated for closure on Sunday, according to Lt. Col. Baldé Mamadou Bailo, the sanitation officer for the military engineering battalion. Locals living around the landfill had been given eviction notices, which forced many to vacate the area, but many were still around at the time of the disaster, according to authorities.

China postpones lunar mission launch

HAIKOU, China — China said on Sunday it was postponing its planned ambitious Chang’e-7 lunar mission, which was set to carry out explorations including searching for water ice on the moon. The Chang’e-7 spacecraft was originally set to lift off in the coming days from the Wenchang Space Launch Site on China’s southern Hainan island. The mission does not meet the launch conditions, said the China Manned Space Agency in a brief statement, and “cannot take place during the planned window this year.” The decision was made following a “comprehensive assessment,” the agency added, and was based on the principles of “prudence, reliability and absolute mission success.” It did not further elaborate on the reasons behind the decision. Preparations have been carried out at the Wenchang launch site for the Chang’e-7 mission over the past weeks, the seventh in the Chang’e moon exploration program. It aimed at making breakthroughs in key technologies, the ofﬁcial Xinhua News Agency previously reported.

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Wildfire threatens Reno, Nevada Fast-moving blaze forces thousands of evacuations

BY JOHN RABY, JACK BROOK and JOHN SEEWER Associated Press

A fast-moving wildfire that jumped over fire trucks and made it difficult for crews to reach hot spots destroyed homes in northwest Reno, Nevada, on Sunday. Shifting winds challenged firefighters trying to bring it under control, and authorities urged some 90,000 people to evacuate. At least six people — three first responders and three civilians — were injured, officials said. Officials said the fire was “human-caused” but did not provide details on how they reached that conclusion, or whether it was intentionally set or accidental. The Hawk Fire began Saturday and quickly grew to more than 23 square miles as it spread across the Peavine Peak area of the Humboldt–Toiyabe National Forest, where rugged foothills are ringed by homes and businesses near the California state line. Some 42,000 residents have been ordered evacuated as the “GO NOW” zone expanded, reaching the edge of the University of Nevada. An additional 45,000 people were in the adjacent evacuation warning zone. Authorities implored all of them to leave and be prepared to stay

PROVIDED IMAGE FROM VIDEO By CARI KIEFFER

Part of the Hawk Fire burns Sunday in Reno, Nev. away for several days, because shifting and strengthening winds were expected to make the ﬁre even more unpredictable. “Please get out if you can right now,” Washoe County Sheriff Darin Balaam said. Cari Kieffer said a video posted on social media showed her house entirely burned down, with only a scorched basketball hoop still standing. “I woke up this morning and just started crying — all my kids, they lost everything,” Kieffer said Sunday. “We lost all our stuff. Everything we own is gone.” Kieffer had been watch-

ing her son’s football game Saturday when she learned that their home on the outskirts of Reno was in the evacuation zone. An app the family used to track the fire’s progress had been lagging significantly behind its actual location, she said, so they thought firefighters had kept the blaze from their neighborhood. Instead, Kieffer, her husband and their four children ages 3 to 16 raced to save their dogs and whatever possessions they could retrieve. Ash rained down, and the wind blew like an oven blast from a wall of flames advancing down the

hillside toward their neighborhood, she said. “I kept looking outside and the flames just kept getting closer and closer every time I looked,” Kieffer said. “I was like, we gotta go like now.” Eyes watering and throat burning, Kieffer grabbed a handful of clothes, a Bible, her wedding photos and her mother’s ashes. In the frenzy, as firefighters yelled at her family to leave immediately, she said she forgot her family’s birth certificates and was unable to salvage her childhood photos. The family drove to a friend’s home but had

to evacuate again. They learned later Saturday evening that their own home was gone. Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo declared a state of emergency in Washoe County and mobilized the Nevada National Guard to support aerial firefighting with two helicopter crews as well as 60 troops to help police safeguard evacuated neighborhoods. Also responding were 800 fire personnel. Nearly 10,000 customers were without power in Washoe County on Sunday, down from 60,000 on Saturday. Portions of U.S. 395, a major north-south highway, were closed due to the fire. Reno, with more than 280,000 residents, is the largest city in Nevada outside of metro Las Vegas. Washoe County emergency officials opened the Reno-Sparks Convention Center to evacuees, but said they couldn’t bring their pets — small animals and large animals were to be left at two other locations. Casinos in Reno offered discounts on hotel rooms to evacuees. The fire was so small Saturday morning that it wasn’t even a concern, said Tyler Duvall, who went camping over the weekend. By the next day, his house was in the evacuation zone. “The wind really blew it up,” Duvall said. On Saturday alone, 15 new fires popped up across Nevada. Months of dry weather and a record lack of snow this past winter across the American West have created prime fire conditions.

Zelenskyy details rift with dismissed defense chief BY SAMYA KULLAB Associated Press

KYIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that he believes actions taken by dismissed Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, including his involvement in mass protests and calls for an election, were misguided, as he publicly detailed their dispute for the first time. Zelenskyy also alluded to problematic Zelenskyy decisions over defense spending and said that inaccurate information provided by the Defense Ministry contributed to an awkward encounter with President Donald Trump over the use of Starlink in Russia. Zelenskyy disclosed ﬁgures showing Ukraine’s growing shortage of Patriot air-defense missiles needed to counter Russian ballistic attacks, with deliveries from Western allies declining in the past three years even as Russian missile strikes intensiﬁed. He highlighted battle-

weeks, but ultimately failed to force a reversal of the decision. Fedorov later called for an election. Zelenskyy said that he had offered Fedorov four different options to continue working in the government. Fedorov, he said, rejected all of them. The Ukrainian leader told journalists that he believes holding an election during ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By FRANCISCO SECO the war would be a huge risk with the potential to “split Valentyna Svertoka, 86, leans against a doorframe

as she cleans her apartment on Friday in a damaged residential building in Kyiv, Ukraine, a day after a Russian missile and drone attack.

ﬁeld gains, however, saying Ukrainian forces have almost completely recaptured the Dnipropetrovsk region, with only around 4 square miles remaining under Russian control. The Ukrainian president made the remarks during a two-hour off-the-record meeting with reporters on Saturday, with a transcript released publicly on Sunday. His comments ranged widely, covering the latest battlefield developments, efforts to counter Russian ballistic attacks, the state of peace negotiations, Ukraine’s budgetary challenges and the politi-

cal turmoil surrounding Fedorov’s dismissal. “I really had and still have a very positive attitude toward Mykhailo. We have been through a lot together. But I believe that he himself goes, or is pushed, into the wrong things,” he said. Fedorov, a popular minister credited with modernizing Ukraine’s armed forces and accelerating the military’s embrace of technology and drone warfare, was dismissed last month after reportedly falling out with the country’s top military commander. His removal triggered mass protests that lasted for

Two Phoenix officers arrested, fired after violent traffic stop By The Associated Press PHOENIX — Two Phoenix police officers were fired and arrested after an unreported traffic stop in which they assaulted a man and woman and shocked them with a Taser, the police chief said. Officers Antonio Felix and Luis Vasquez were arrested on charges including aggravated assault and kidnapping, police chief Matt Giordano said at a news conference Saturday. “Detectives have con-

firmed that the two former officers physically assaulted both the man and woman during the traffic stop,” Giordano said. “The investigation also shows that a Taser was used on the victims during the stop.” The officers did not report the Aug. 5 traffic stop and did not activate their body-worn cameras, police said. “There is no video evidence, but we established what we believe is probable cause that these crimes

were committed,” Giordano said, adding there was no indication that the ofﬁcers knew the victims. Dave Evans, a spokesperson for the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office, said Sunday that Vasquez had been released from custody while Felix remained incarcerated at the Lower Buckeye Jail in Phoenix. Attempts by The Associated Press to determine who their defense attorneys were to request comment were unsuccessful.

Ukraine apart.” “I believe elections during a war like this would generally pose enormous risks. Holding elections right now would be a tsunami for the state that would split Ukraine apart,” he said. Zelenskyy said he had previously faced pressure to hold an election during the war, but no partners had come up with a plan for how a poll could be held safely, legitimately and democratically.

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Trump testing Canadian PM in trade fight Carney previously cautioned middle powers about economic coercion

BY ROB GILLIES Associated Press

TORONTO — Mark Carney drew international attention as Canada’s prime minister by warning that middle powers must resist economic coercion by more powerful countries. Now President Donald Trump is putting that warning to the test with sweeping new tariffs that could show how much economic pain Canada can absorb. Tensions escalated late Friday when Canada walked away from negotiations after Carney concluded the United States was demanding too much in exchange for tariff relief. The U.S. imposed 50% duties Saturday on about $20 billion worth of Canadian goods, and Carney announced dollar-for-dollar retaliation beginning Sept. 8. “We’re going to hit back,” Carney said. Carney is doing what many other American allies have so far avoided: risking economic pain rather than yielding to tariff pressure. For Carney, the showdown is the clearest test yet of his argument that middle powers must stand up to economic pressure from great powers such as the United States and China, even when it comes at a cost. Canada’s response could show how countries navigate a world in which long-standing alliances of-

CANADIAN PRESS FILE PHOTO By ADRIAN WyLD

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, left, and President Donald Trump hold a news conference on Oct. 7 at the White House in Washington, D.C. fer less protection and economic ties themselves become sources of leverage. It could also shape how Carney is viewed at home and abroad, and how other U.S. allies respond to the Republican president. The trade dispute also has become a test of sovereignty. Carney said Washington introduced language in the ﬁnal hours of negotiations that would have restricted Canada’s ability to make trade deals with other countries. He said that demand was “unacceptable” and “a question of sovereignty.” British Columbia Premier David Eby said accepting such a condition

would have reduced Canada “to the economic equivalent of the 51st state” — a status Trump has mused about often. Carney’s message resonated in January when he addressed the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, as Europe braced for Trump’s threats over Greenland and new tariffs. Carney said the international order was undergoing “a rupture, not a transition.” He argued that sovereignty would depend increasingly on a country’s ability to “withstand pressure” and warned that middle powers negotiating alone with great powers do so from weakness. Trump responded a day later by

stressing Canada’s dependence on the United States. “ Canada lives because of the United States,” he said. “Remember that, Mark, the next time you make your statements.” The president has repeatedly talked about making Canada the 51st U.S. state and dismissed the allies’ border as artificial. On Sunday, Trump returned to that theme, writing on Truth Social that “Canada wants the benefits of being a State, without being one!!!” and accusing Canada of charging U.S. farmers “massive amounts” of tariffs for years. “No more!!!” he wrote. Seven months since Davos, Canada has become a test case for the world Carney described. “Our government understood, before many, that America would transform all its commercial relationships,” Carney said Saturday. He accused Washington of using “economic integration as a weapon” and said its “signature was written in pencil.” Historian Robert Bothwell said Canada is uniquely vulnerable to U.S. pressure. “No country is more exposed than Canada,” Bothwell said. “Other countries have to fear American misbehavior, but none as much as Canada.” Bothwell said success ultimately means Canada retaining its independence “in the face of Trump’s desire to subordinate it and absorb it.” He said Carney “sees that very well.” But Canada’s dependence on the U.S. market makes that difficult. Nearly three-quarters of Canadian exports go to the United States,

whose economy is roughly 10 times larger. Canada can sign new trade agreements, but replacing customers and supply chains built around the enormous U.S. market over decades is considerably harder. Carney acknowledged retaliation would “raise costs and reduce choice for Canadians.” U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer rejected Canada’s account of the breakdown in talks, saying Ottawa introduced new demands and backed away from commitments even after Washington offered to reduce tariffs on steel, autos, lumber and other goods. He said the United States was moving ahead with additional measures in response to Canada’s retaliation, raising the prospect of further escalation. The European Union prepared retaliatory tariffs against the United States last year but repeatedly suspended them while negotiating with Washington. Nelson Wiseman, a professor emeritus of political science at the University of Toronto, said Canada is providing the biggest test yet of whether Carney’s strategy can work and whether resistance by one middle power could change the calculations of others. “Will there be a domino effect? We’ll see,” Wiseman said. Carney’s defiance also drew notice in Europe. Former Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni, who later served as the European Union’s economy commissioner, shared video of Carney’s Saturday remarks on social media and wrote, “Here is a speech I would like to hear in Europe.”

Jared Kushner meets with Moke set to dump more heavy rain on Hawaii Democratic leader Jeffries By The Associated Press

BY LISA MASCARO

AP congressional correspondent WASHINGTON — House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries and President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and outside adviser Jared Kushner met privately recently in New York, a signal that the White House is seeking ways to work with Democrats if they wrest majority control from Republicans in the midterm elections. The meeting, ﬁrst reported Sunday by The New York Times, touched on issues ranging from housing, immigration to the high costs of living. People in the United States are struggling under inﬂationary prices that Democrats blame on Republicans, alongside Trump, for failing to get under control. Kushner suggested that Jeffries, who is in line to become House speaker if Democrats regain power in November, meet with White House chief of staff Susie Wiles as a follow-up. Jeffries, in a statement Sunday, did not mention the private conversation but said the Republican administration needed to drop the GOP’s “my-way-or-the-highway” approach that “has failed the American people.” “To stop the madness, we have repeatedly made clear that an extremist approach will not work and will be met with forceful opposition,” the New York congressman said.

“The question is whether Republicans will join us.” The meeting shows the depth of Republican Party angst over losing their congressional majority, particularly the House, and the need to make inroads with the opposing party as the White House seeks to stem any potential political fallout on the president. If Democrats retake power, the White House can expect an aggressive oversight agenda into what Jeffries has called the “crooks” in the administration, with the threat of impeachment among the many tools at the party’s disposal. House Speaker Mike Johnson, a close ally of Trump, bristled Sunday when asked about the meeting. He minimized the role that Kushner, who he said “hedges his bets,” plays in the White House. “I’m telling you what, you better not bet against the House Republicans,” Johnson, R-Benton, told Fox News Channel’s “The Sunday Briefing.” “I don’t know what that’s about,” Johnson said. “I know Jared has interests in lots of other things going on. He’s not really directly involved in the admin, at least in the dayto-day in the White House.” The White House did not respond to a request for comment. A representative for Kushner also did not respond.

HONOLULU — Tropical Storm Moke was swirling past Hawaii on Sunday, close enough to dump heavy rain on Big Island communities in the aftermath of Hurricane Lala. The National Hurricane Center located Moke’s center about 320 miles south-southwest of Hilo around midday. Top sustained winds were around 40 mph, though the real impact was expected from rainfall in places where last weekend’s hurricane flooded communities, triggered mudslides and damaged roads and power lines. Two deaths linked to the hurricane have been reported in Hawaii. Hawaii County Mayor Kimo Alameda advised residents in a social media post Sunday they “should stay off the roads and shelter in place” as a precaution. He said anyone in need could take refuge at shelters that the county had opened at several locations. Forecasters expected Moke to produce as much as 10 inches of total rain across the Big Island, and up to 15 inches in some isolated places, enough to cause life-threatening ﬂooding and mudslides for the windward and southeast slopes, especially in steep terrain and over areas affected by Lala. The center of the storm was

expected to pass south of the Big Island starting later in the day, then south of the smaller main islands of Hawaii early in the week. In eastern Maui, the next in the island chain, up to 6 inches of rain was expected, and the other islands may get an inch or two, according to the hurricane center. As with Hurricane Lala,

the Big Island was expected to bear the brunt of Moke’s rain and winds as the storm moves westward, south of the island chain. After moving away from the islands, Lala was downgraded and remained a strong tropical storm on Sunday far out in the Central Paciﬁc. The northeast coast of the Big Island saw the heaviest

total rainfall from Lala, at 43.54 inches, according to the weather service. Ahead of Moke’s approach, Hawaii Gov. Josh Green urged people to prepare by restocking food, medicine and other essentials. Over 6,500 customers in the county remained without power Sunday stemming from Lala, according to poweroutage.us.

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4A ✦ Monday,August 24, 2026 ✦ nola.com ✦ The Times-Picayune

IRAN

Continued from page 1A his latest warning on X, with the comments quickly shared by Iranian state media. It came a day after Rezaei’s most extensive public comments since being named to the post this month. “If (Trump) wants to do something, we will retaliate in a seismic manner,” he had told the state broadcaster in an interview that aired late Saturday. He said Iran would target other oil-shipping routes from the Persian Gulf — alternatives to the Strait of Hormuz. Rezaei, a former Revolutionary

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Guard commander and military adviser to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, was part of senior appointments widely seen as hardening Teh- Rezaei ran’s political and military stance. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian earlier Sunday said the memorandum of understanding signed in mid-June Pezeshkian was the best way to move beyond a situation of “neither

war nor peace,” adding that Tehran can’t attract investment nearly six months after the war began. “There is not a single provision in this agreement that amounts to capitulation,” Pezeshkian said in a speech published by state-run IRNA. “The supreme leader sets the policies, and we will follow that path.” The interim deal opened a 60-day period for talks aimed at ending the war and reaching an accord on Iran’s nuclear program. That period ended last week with no signs of compromise or extension.

muz over the past 48 hours, a multinational coalition overseen by the U.S. Navy said Sunday, with shipping trafﬁc still at reduced levels. The U.S. military said its blockade of Iranian ports had redirected 70 commercial ships and disabled three as of Sunday. Iran’s recently created Persian Gulf Strait Authority, sanctioned by the U.S., published a list of dozens of ships it said had violated arrangements for transiting the strait and would face future restrictions like fines or seizures. The strait had been considered an international waterway before the No attacks on strait U.S. and Israel attacked Iran on Meanwhile, there were no con- Feb. 28. Iran and Oman, on the strait’s ﬁrmed attacks in the Strait of Hor-

other side, are discussing management of it, which likely will include ships paying fees.

Envoy to visit Tehran Pakistani Field Marshal Asim Munir will lead a delegation to Tehran on Monday, Iranian state television reported, citing Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Esmail Baghaei. Two regional ofﬁcials said the visit was part of Islamabad’s efforts to de-escalate tensions between the United States and Iran and urge them to return to the negotiating table. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.

VACANT

Continued from page 1A as beachfront investments boost local economies but also stir lament that life on the water is becoming too expensive. In coastal Mississippi, where hundreds of homes and businesses were destroyed by Katrina’s force, some leaders believe restoring vacant coastal lots is a last vital step in a long process of recovery. “After a catastrophe like Hurricane Katrina, everyone is gunshy,” said Tim Carlson, who helped found a commercial real estate ﬁrm that has been selling the lots for more than a decade. “But eventually, they come back,” he said.

Buyers and movers Some real estate agents say they are witnessing two migrations shaping the waterfront’s future. Many longtime coastal residents are moving to higher ground to escape insurance rates. And buyers and developers who can afford to pay more than $1 million to build on beachfront lots are opening their wallets and investing along the coastline. Vacant lots on the Mississippi coast are also being swept up for vacation homes for families from Louisiana, while others are turning into vacation rentals. Sandi Sawyer Dulaney, a real estate broker, said sales have closed on more than 30 empty beach lots between Pass Christian and Biloxi in the last two years. But at least 50 lots are still on the market. “Before Katrina, you could be in one income bracket and been able to have a beachfront lot and build a house there,” Dulaney said. “Now, you have to really be willing to spend a good amount of money.”

STAFF PHOTOS By DAVID GRUNFELD

Soaring insurance rates and new rules about building elevations have forever changed the Mississippi Gulf Coast’s once-packed stretch of U.S. 90.

“It’s not going to be the same as it was,” she said.

‘Your hands were tied’

‘Matter of necessity’ The investments along U.S. 90 could transform the Mississippi coast. Katrina’s destruction of hotels and condos erased a crucial part of many cities’ tax bases. But the return of waterfront development could reinvigorate those economies. Danny Lee, who leads the Gulf Coast Association of Realtors, said the region’s growing number of residents and visitors are making commercial investment on the beach more viable. And once big development comes, it could snowball quickly. “It takes one person to have the faith,” Lee said. The city of Long Beach has the same hope. Its leaders are sprucing up several empty beachfront blocks with palm trees, parking and pavilions in hopes it will lure new businesses to the land.

The vacant lots that line Mississippi’s Gulf Coast are a somber reminder of Hurricane Katrina’s ruins. Long Beach Mayor Tim Pierce said the investment could help the city raise salaries for teachers and ﬁrst responders. But attracting developers has been difﬁcult because many do not want to build businesses so high in the air. “We’re trying to reestablish ourself as a great little town,” Pierce said this week. “It’s a matter of necessity.”

But the challenges are steep and cyclical, especially on the lowestlying land. Some who grew up on the Mississippi coast in the years after Hurricane Camille in 1969 recall many concrete slabs along the beach in spots that once held homes and businesses. Bertucci said he built his old eye clinic in 1982 — before the federal government rewrote elevation require-

ments — on the site of a gas station destroyed in Camille. Betty Shaw, who founded the Gulfport Historical Society, still recalls the smaller homes, motels and amusement parks that ﬁlled U.S. 90 long ago. She said some locals feel resigned about the future of the waterfront even though they see the beneﬁt of new development.

The region still has a way to go. Many empty lots remain overgrown and wild. Others are grassy and sandy. Some, including Bertucci’s, have become popular hangouts where friends park motor homes to watch Cruisin’ the Coast, or fireworks on the Fourth of July. Bertucci’s eye clinic stood at ground level, and he did not consider rebuilding it after Katrina. He cares for older patients — some in wheelchairs — who would struggle to visit a clinic so high off the ground. He is still practicing ophthalmology a few days a week at a newer clinic farther away from the beach. “Once you had to put things in the air, you couldn’t do it,” Bertucci said. “You couldn’t get them financed. Your hands were tied.” These days, Bertucci’s motive to find a buyer is growing. He would like to retire, he said, and liquidate his assets so he can provide for his family. Some friends still mow the grass for him, and his lot remains wellkept. But he is uncertain of its fate — and unsure that the coastal highway will ever feel fully revived. “There are areas that are not going to recover,” he said, “at least as we know it.”

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CAMERAS

Continued from page 1A found that Rome had misused Flock following questions it received from a national news outlet reporting a story about ofﬁcers’ use of the surveillance system. The woman declined to press any criminal charges, like cyberstalking, against him, Jefferson Parish Sheriff Joseph Lopinto said. “The misuse of the Flock camera system is a serious violation of JPSO policy, regardless of the circumstances,” the Sheriff’s Ofﬁce said in a news release. The controversy has raised questions and criticisms from Louisiana officials and residents from across the political spectrum over how they are being surveilled and what guardrails are in place to prevent misconduct, as questions are already swirling around local law enforcement agencies’ use of drones and facial recognition technology. Most of the 5,000 agencies that Flock contracts with across the country do not share how many cameras they use or where they are located, which has spurred the creation of nationwide open-source, volunteerrun maps like DeFlock and search databases like Have I Been Flocked? According to DeFlock, there are 231 license-plate cameras in Jefferson Parish, 101 in St. Tammany Par-

‘SLAMMERS’

The Times-Picayune ✦ nola.com ✦ Monday, August 24, 2026 ✦ 5A

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ish and 92 in New Orleans, although it’s not clear how many of those cameras are owned by local law enforcement or by private businesses. Even before the JPSO termination, concerns about the cameras conducting a “warrantless search of the public” prompted state Rep. Danny McCormick, R-Oil City, to consider introducing legislation to ban automated cameras altogether in next year’s session. The cameras are “ushering in a police state,” McCormick said.

STAFF PHOTO By BRETT DUKE

An automated license plate reader camera is seen along Veterans Boulevard in Critics and supporters Edith Romero, an orga- Metairie on Wednesday.

nizer with New Orleans anti-surveillance organization Eye on Surveillance, said that the JPSO ofﬁcer’s violation was “just the one instance that has been revealed of this abuse.” Romero said she worried about the technology being used to target undocumented immigrants or people traveling to seek reproductive healthcare, both of which have been raised as issues by national critics. The Kenner and Gretna police departments, both enrolled in the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s controversial 287(g) program, said they do not use automated cameras to carry out immigration enforcement. Some cameras have been vandalized in protest. Kenner Police Chief Keith Conley said a camera on Vintage Drive was unlaw-

and bring legitimate wreck victims to lawyers for a fee. “Garrison … and (Ryan) Continued from page 1A Harris brought Sean hundreds of clients to refer,” dozens of checks to “slam- Clarke said in his opening mers” — skilled drivers statement. “Most of those at the heart of the alleged involved real accidents, real conspiracy who stuffed claims.” cars with people, intentionally sideswiped big rigs on Hundreds of cases busy highways and then For years, the alleged steered their passengers to scheme remained hidden injury lawyers. Dozens of even from Galliano and othpeople have pleaded guilty ers in Alfortish’s circle. Alin a yearslong federal probe, fortish never told Galliano with many pointing to Alfor- how Affiliated Management received the flow of tish as the scheme’s cases it was senddirector. His fiancé, a Holing to Motta’s firm, and Galliano never lywood stunt-driverasked, she said. turned-injury-lawSigns presented yer named Vanessa themselves on the Motta, received a balance sheets of his windfall of cases companies. Income from his referral Motta for the JA Trust balbusiness. (A jury convicted Motta in March of looned from $251,304 in the fraud and witness tamper- first eight months of 2016 ing.) Alfortish weighed in — around when he got off on claimants’ medical treat- probation and met Garrison ments through the medical — to $844,720 the next year, financing firms he was in- records show. “I don’t know what any of volved with, court records these people did, but I know show. By 2017, around when the they got paid,” Galliano said. There was plenty of money alleged scheme was nearing its peak, tax records show to go around: A March federal Alfortish was cutting checks jury heard how Motta Law’s from the JA Trust to slam- advertising budget grew by mers every few days. About nearly $1 million in a year. $136,000 went from the trust Juanisha Winchester, who that year to Cornelius Gar- dated Garrison after meeting rison III, the most prolific him as a recruit to a staged driver on his payroll, and accident, remembered him $81,000 to Ryan “Red” Har- having cash to burn. “He was making money, ris. Both men also received checks from Affiliated Man- and I knew he wasn’t going agement. They were not reg- to no 9-to-5,” Winchester said. As the money flowed, prosistered employees of either firm. ecutors say Alfortish coached The following year, re- Garrison to say he was workcords show Affiliated Man- ing construction. Garrison didn’t survive to agement’s sales totaled nearly $1.4 million. Alfor- confirm that story. His fatal tish’s MedPort commissions shooting in September 2020 came days after his work as topped $120,000. His former accountant, an FBI informant was conRoxanne Galliano, testified firmed publicly by a federal last week that she sent Gar- indictment. Harris, Garririson and Harris 1099 tax son’s younger protege, has forms so they could file re- pleaded to planning the hit at turns as contractors. Alfor- Alfortish’s request and says tish eventually asked her to he recruited a third man, stop sending the forms to the Leon “Chunky” Parker, to pull slammers, Galliano said. She the trigger. Parker admits to participatsaid she asked him why. “His reply was he didn’t ing in a staged accident years want to draw any more at- ago, but not to murder. Alfortention to himself,” she said. tish denies both. For years, “I laughed, because the pay- his lawyers say he was blindments are right there. The ed to the fraud apparently being perpetrated under his checks have been written.” By 2020, Garrison would nose. Clarke argued it would be dead — shot in his mother’s entryway a year after have countered the slamhe started speaking with FBI mers’ interests to reveal they agents about the plot. were staging wrecks, lest Accused of ordering the Alfortish stop taking their hit to silence Garrison, Al- referrals. “The size of the business fortish says he is neither a killer nor a fraudster. His explains how Harris and attorney, Shaun Clarke, told Garrison could hide a small the jury last week that Gar- number of staged accidents rison and other drivers pre- in the large scheme of real sented themselves as tradi- cases they were bringing tional “runners” — hustlers Sean,” Clarke said. “And they who listen to police scan- had every reason to hide the ners, dash to wreck scenes staging from Sean: Sean paid

fully taken down recently, prompting the department to issue a warning that tampering with cameras would result in a felony arrest. JPSO Capt. Jason Rivarde said the agency had one of its cameras taken down as well. Bryan Lagarde, creator of the Project NOLA crime camera network, criticized Flock for lacking “meaningful safeguards or accountability” that create “opportunities for abuse.” Project NOLA, which operates a private network of crime cameras across New Orleans including with facial recognition capabilities, itself has drawn accountability concerns. Lagarde said that 100 Project NOLA cameras are equipped with license plate reader technology but that the data is stored internally

and is accessible only to Project NOLA supervisors for solving felony crimes, unlike Flock’s national database. Supporters of the technology, on the other hand, say license plate reader cameras have been around for years and play a critical role in quickly locating people accused of crimes ranging from illegal tire dumping to child kidnapping to homicides, especially when those assailants ﬂee the parish or the state. In one example, Flock cameras were used to track and arrest a North Carolina man who was accused of threatening to commit a mass shooting at a New Orleans festival in April. The man was detained at a Florida hotel on his way to Louisiana but was later released after his charges were dropped. “Bottom line: The technology itself is not the problem. The problem is the few ofﬁcers that may abuse it,” said Rafael Goyeneche, president of the Metropolitan Crime Commission, adding that law enforcement agencies should implement “protocols for safety and limiting access and better auditing to identify misconduct.” Residents of Jefferson Parish, the suburban neighbor to New Orleans, may be more supportive of camera surveillance, some law enforcement leaders said — especially with the proliferation of other systems like Ring doorbells.

“You can’t walk out the front door of your house without being on someone’s camera, I guarantee that,” Conley said. The Associated Press reported in early August that Flock CEO Garrett Langley said the company would implement multiple mandatory guardrails to its systems by Jan. 1, including an audit tool that will ﬂag abnormal search behavior and lock out the user until an internal review is complete. Flock will also shorten its data retention window from 30 days to seven days and require users to enter a code tying each search to a speciﬁc case before it is run.

How are cameras used? Conley said Kenner owns 76 Flock cameras that are state-funded, which all his sworn officers have access to. In Gretna, Police Chief Brett Lawson said his department owns seven cameras, funded by Police Department and some homeowners associations. About half of his officers can access them, he said. Both Kenner and Gretna police departments said they have officers in charge of auditing the camera search logs on a regular basis to identify irregularities. Those two agencies, plus State Police, reported that they have never had to discipline officers for misusing camera systems. In New Orleans, Mayor LaToya Cantrell’s administration signed an agreement

with Flock in December 2024 to purchase four license plate readers and the Flock operating system for $14,600. The agreement was set to renew automatically at a cost of $12,000 a year. A spokesperson for Mayor Helena Moreno did not respond to questions about the city’s use of Flock or other license plate reader cameras. According to DeFlock, private property owners have installed far more Flock cameras around the city, with several located on Tulane University’s Uptown campus, as well as near Lowe’s on Elysian Fields Avenue and at The Home Depot on Earhart Boulevard. The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development also operates six Flock cameras in New Orleans East to catch illegal tire-dumping, said spokesperson Rodney Mallett. Rivarde and State Police spokesperson Danny Berrincha both declined to disclose the number of cameras their agencies use or their auditing policies, although Berrincha said that “LSP has full oversight on the use of all of our investigative tools and technologies.” Rivarde added that JPSO is “working on ways to improve (its) ability to audit the Flock logs.” Neither the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Ofﬁce nor Slidell Police Department responded to requests for comment. Staff writer Michelle Hunter contributed to this report.

them for clients. If they told Sean some of these are fake, they’d risk losing every future referral.” Harris disputed that rationale on the stand Tuesday, saying he and Garrison would not have brought Alfortish wrecks if he did not know they were staged.

first met there as landlord Roddy said. “It was suspi- her where to go for treatand tenant when she sought cious to me.” ment. She said she had spinal rental space to begin her law fusion surgery on Motta’s in‘Wished I would have said no’ sistence, though she said she practice. The offices’ proximPassengers in staged didn’t want to. Motta barraged her with ity raised red flags to Trent wrecks have testified that Roddy, a trucking defense Motta encouraged them to “continuous phone calls” lawyer who defended a suit seek medical treatment, in- urging her to get surgery brought by Motta in 2018 cluding surgeries, because — “saying this will get you with Harris as plaintiff. doing so could boost the val- more money, this will help your case.” “You’d like to think that if ue of settlements. ‘It was suspicious’ Harris said she still feels people are funding litigation Shirley Harris, a cousin Defense lawyers for truck- and funding lawsuits, there’s of Ryan Harris who testi- discomfort after the surgery, ers and insurance firms have more of an arms-length rela- fied that she rode in a 2017 including when she swalsaid they began to suspect tionship between that com- wreck staged by Garrison, lows. “I just wished I would Motta of pushing bogus law- pany and those lawyers,” said Motta’s assistant told have said no,” she said. suits when they noticed Garrison and Harris’ numbers peppered across her clients’ phone records. Another sign appeared through Alfortish’s tendency to weigh in on disputes over plaintiffs’ medical treatments, which he did through the medical financing comCUSTOM BLINDS, SHADES, SHUTTERS & DRAPERY panies, court records and trial testimony show. James M. Dill, a lawyer who defended a trucking company in a lawsuit brought by Motta over a 2015 wreck in which Garrison and others struck a Hotard bus, said Alfortish “directed” medical treatments for plaintiffs through MedPort. Besides owning Total Medical Concepts, Alfortish worked as an “independent contractor/sales representative” for MedPort, a Nevadabased firm that buys medical debt from providers, a 2019 court filing says. A phone call to MedPort, whose website says it “offers providers a solution for personal injury,” was not returned. The firm has denied coordinating with providers’ treatment decisions. A company executive, Kenneth Fust, was quoted in a 2019 case in which Motta represented the plaintiff as saying that “Medport is not a medical provider, nor does it direct any medical care or treat* ment on any of the accounts that it purchases from medical providers.” That claim drew skepticism from Magistrate Judge on Custom Blinds, Shades & Drapery Michael B. North, who wrote that “evidence … tends to undermine, if not contradict, these statements.” Citing cases where providers sought MedPort’s approval FREE in-home design consultation to use medical equipment, with no obligation! North ordered the firm to share its provider agreements with defendants in Motta’s suit. In 2018, Alfortish drew monthly commissions of around $17,000 for work with MedPort, according to records presented at Motta’s March trial. WE DESIGN, WE MEASURE, WE INSTALL, YOU RELAX!® His own medical financing firm, Total Medical Con*Offer valid on 3 Day Blinds brand products only, excluding shutters and special orders. Buy 1 qualifying window covering and receive the 2nd qualifying window covering of equal or lesser value at 50% off! Offer excludes installation, sales tax, shipping and handling. Not valid on previous purchases cepts, shared office space or with any other offer or discount. Offer Code BGXB. Expires 12/31/26. Images displayed are intended for inspiration only, products may not be with Motta Law in a buildavailable in/with the exact operating system, style, material, pattern, color or options shown. Check with Design Consultant for availability. Contractor Licenses and Registrations: AZ Contractor License ROC 321056. CA Contractor License 1005986. CT Home Improvement Contractor Reg HIC.0644950. ing he owned on Kenner’s DE Contractor Reg DE-2025-000011783. ID Contractor Reg 1971243. LA Home Improvement Reg 566274. MN Contractor Reg IR742667. NC Contractor Clay Street, according to License 107179. OR Contractor License 209181. PA Contractor License HIC PA107656. RI Contractor Reg GC-51237. TN Home Improvement License 10020. WA Contractor Reg 3DAYBDB842KS. Rockland County, NY Home Improvement Contractor License H-12401. Licensed through Great Windows Services, LLC: trial testimony and court VA 2705172678. WV WV061238. Various city business licenses available on request. © 2026 3 Day Blinds LLC. records. Motta and Alfortish

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‘You have to respect the community’ Residents speak out amid NORD chief search

BY JONI HESS Staff writer

When New Orleans was looking for the last CEO to lead its public recreation system eight years ago, being born and raised in the city was a top priority for residents. Today, the city wants someone with deep experience managing parks and recreation who will

prioritize making the department functional with accessible programs and facilities and heightened community engagement, according to a survey that will aid in the search. The New Orleans Recreation and Development Commission received 155 applications for the job since posting it earlier this month. Candidates will be vetted through a public-facing selection

process set to wrap in October. NORD held a community meeting Wednesday at Milne Recreation Center in Gentilly at which residents aired grievances about the department and shared thoughts on what the new CEO’s priorities should be. “It’s important for the person to understand New Orleans’ people,” resident Timolynn Sams said. “It’s not so much that you

have to be born and raised here, but you have to respect the community. New Orleans is a cultural enclave. Each neighborhood is very distinct, very different and very personal.” Another resident slammed NORD for a lack of modernization for things like summer camp registration, which forced her her to stand in line in the heat for more than two hours before she decided to try another location. Last spring, the line for summer camp registration at Milne

wrapped around the agency’s headquarters down Franklin Avenue for hours due to NORD’s longtime requirement that people register in-person. Others said the new leader will have to push for better communication and transparency around program schedules and facility rentals. “They need to publish pricing for all of their facility rentals,” resident Spencer Scheirman

ä See RESPECT, page 2B

Ruling reversed; judge can stay in race Appeals court says Lombard ‘truly believed’ she’d filed 2023 taxes

BY WILLIE SWETT

Staff writer

A state appeals court has ruled that Orleans Parish Magistrate Judge Juana Marine Lombard may run for reelection, reversing the decision of a lower court that found she should be barred from running because of a claim on her qualifying form. Last week, Civil District Judge Lombard Veronica Henry disqualified Lombard from running, finding she hadn’t provided sufficient evidence to show that she had filed a state tax return for 2023. The case was before Henry after Lombard’s opponent in the race for magistrate judge and another voter challenged Lombard’s candidacy. Lombard appealed Henry’s decision to the 4th Circuit Court of Appeal, which heard arguments on Friday. In a ruling issued Saturday, the appellate court unanimously found that the lower court erred in its decision to disqualify Lombard and that she could remain as a candidate in the Nov. 3 election. The majority found that when Lombard certified that she had filed all of her tax returns for the previous five years in order to qualify as a candidate for reelection, she did so based on evidence and under a “good-faith belief that she was being truthful.” Jerome Matthews, the attorney for Lombard, said in a statement, “We are grateful for the Fourth Circuit’s unanimous decision. The Court correctly applied Louisiana law, recognized the objective evidence supporting Judge Marine-Lombard’s certification, and protected the electorate’s right to choose.” Lombard is vying for another six-year term as magistrate judge, a position that oversees the signing of warrants and detention orders for people arrested, along with four unelected commissioners. Lombard is also the chief judge of the Orleans Parish Criminal District Court, which is a rotating position. Lombard’s opponent in the race, attorney Chanel Robinson Debose, would become the next Orleans Parish magistrate judge if Lombard were disqualified from running. Debose and voter Jackson Voss were the ones who challenged Lombard’s candidacy.

ä See LOMBARD, page 2B

STAFF PHOTOS By ENAN CHEDIAK

Rodrick ‘King Scubble’ Davis Sr. marches with a sign showing the late Jerome ‘Big Duck’ Smith during the Valley of Silent Men second-line in Uptown in New Orleans on Sunday.

MARCH OF MERRy MEN

The Valley of Silent Men second-line winds through Uptown.

Man gets Local fashion brand launches fellowship for high school students double Emline founder offers life opportunities in sentence industry

Mayes’ Emline, the New Orleansbased streetwear brand. But when they didn’t, his mom encouraged him to go after the opportunity anyway. Until the day he finally saw the text, he doubted he’d get it. BY DESIREE STENNETT “My first reaction, I just started Staff writer laughing. That was the only bodily The day Jerrod Watson got the function that felt right to me at the text telling him he had been chosen time,” he said, still smiling as he reas one of eight students who would called his excitement and disbelief be fashion fellows working with over being chosen as one of the first local designer and entrepreneur recipients of Mayes’ Emline FounJames Mayes, he couldn’t help but dation fellowship. “I was always laugh. into fashion but I never knew how Watson, 18, saw the application to grasp it until I started learning on Instagram and spent part of the from mentors. … The whole day I summer trying to convince a few was so happy. This just made me go friends to apply with him and get 10 times harder.” firsthand industry experience with The fellows range from students

like Watson, who had never started a brand before but had a passion for fashion, to others like Edna Karr High School senior Quyntrill Johnson, 17, who started designing six years ago and has already had three sold-out launches for her skater and streetwear brand Dead Rival. By the time the fellows wrap up the program and graduate high school, they each will have created an LLC, opened a business bank account, designed a ﬁrst product, manufactured it and stocked it to sell at a pop-up showcase Mayes will organize. The highlight of the fellowship is a weeklong summer trip to Los

A New Orleans man convicted of killing two people during a botched armed robbery in Mid-City six years ago will spend the rest of his life in prison after an emotion-ﬁlled sentencing hearing Friday. Eric Cloud was 17 when he shot and killed Angel

ä See FASHION, page 2B

ä See LIFE, page 2B

BY MATT BRUCE Staff writer

2B ✦ Monday, August 24, 2026 ✦ nola.com ✦ The Times-Picayune

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Southern considers deal for energy facility University could earn revenue from stored power

BY HALEY MILLER Staff writer

Southern University is exploring a deal to build a 300-megawatt battery energy storage facility on campus where Entergy could store power generated during off-peak hours to use when demand for electricity is high. Southern would be an equity partner on the project, meaning the university could earn millions in continuous revenue from the energy site, proponents of the deal said. “There’s an energy revolution going on, and there’s an energy strain down here,” said Claude Tellis Jr., a founder of the nonproﬁt that would facilitate the partnership and build the storage system. “The data centers are pretty much going to use more energy in one week than the city of New Orleans uses in one year. With that kind of strain, there’s also a big opportunity to solve that

problem.” Entergy did not respond to a request for comment by the time of publication. If realized, the facility would sit on a 50-acre tract of land at the Baton Rouge campus currently held by the Southern Ag Center. The exact location was not specified. What Entergy generates during times of low power use could be held at the Southern facility in batteries and utilized during peak demand, according to the proposal. According to federal regulators, 300 megawatts of power is enough energy to power 54,000 homes for a year in the South. Negotiations are in the early stages and being handled by the Land Grant Energy Security Alliance, a nonproﬁt based in North Carolina that seeks to establish public-private partnerships between energy companies and land-grant historically Black colleges and universities. The Southern University Board of Supervisors approved a letter of intent Friday for a “partnership and equity position” with the Land Grant Energy Security Alliance. The university is also listed as part of the nonproﬁt’s advisory committee,

ing gap between HBCUs and other public universities through business opportunities in energy storage. In 2023, the then-secretaries of the U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Department of Agriculture estimated in a letter to former Gov. John Bel Edwards that Southern would have received an additional $1.1 billion from the state over the previous three decades if its funding per student had been equal to that of LSU. “We see it as an opportunity for land-grant universities to use their land as assets to create public-private partnerships with utility companies that would allow us to have contracts with the utility, the land from HBCUs and then also have major financing partners come in and invest behind that deal,” Tellis said. “The net benefit, in our opinion, will be scholarships to the universities.” Partnerships with energy companies would allow land-grant institutions to undercut peaker plants, he said. Peaker plants supply energy during peak demand at a high cost to the utility ‘An opportunity’ provider and typically rely The founders of the non- on fossil fuels to generate profit said the goal is to rem- power quickly. The proposal for the Ag edy the longstanding fund-

according to organization’s website. Southern emphasized in a statement that Friday’s approval is an “important next step” but “does not constitute ﬁnal approval of a proposed battery storage project.” “The potential projects could strengthen the power grid in this region while creating a new revenue source for the university,” the statement said. The letter of intent was necessary for the nonproﬁt’s application to the Midcontinent Independent System Operator, the power grid operator for the central U.S., representatives for the organization said. MISO manages the wholesale energy markets and approves the addition of new energy sources to the transmission network. Under the proposal, Southern would enter into an equity partnership, with the university system’s capital contribution being the land itself, Land Grant Energy Security Alliance co-founder Andrew East said.

Center land originally was presented to the board as an option-to-lease agreement with the Land Grant Energy Security Alliance. The term would have been 25 years at $500,000 per year, according to the draft agreement. However, Southern board members expressed hesitation over whether a lease was the best position for the university financially. “The ambiguity in this scares the living daylights out of me,” board Chair Tony Clayton said. The nonprofit officials said the option-to-lease agreement was considered in order to meet MISO’s September deadline and get Southern paid upfront, but more recent discussions had shifted toward the equity partner proposal. “That allows us to have a further conversation with the utility provider and see what their interest is,” Southern board member Edwin Shorty said. “Because if there is no interest from the utility provider, then the deal can’t happen. But this is just the first step in starting a conversation.”

Swedish pole vaulter Armand “Mondo” Duplantis is singing about his favorite color in a promotion for the first Ultimate Championship. The two-time Olympic champion, who graduated from Lafayette High and attended LSU, released “Gold” with World Athletics on Friday as the anthem of the upcoming meet that boasts a total prize fund of $10 million. Ultimate Championship will be staged in Budapest from Sept. 11-13, showcasing Olympic, world and Diamond League champions over three evening sessions. Gold medalists in individual events will win $150,000. The 26-year-old Duplantis has dabbled in music for

several years and released his first single, “Bop,” in 2025. Duplantis, the world-record holder, says he dreams of winning a Grammy. “Gold” was written by Duplantis with Carl Silvergran and Oscar Chase, and was produced by Chase, the World Athletics announcement said. “I wrote the song around representing something that’s a lot bigger than yourself,” Duplantis said in the announcement. “I think that’s what we all do when we’re on the track. We represent our family, our team, our coaches, and I love that concept. Music and sports are the two things that bring people together in the best way, and ‘Gold’ is an expression of that.” The accompanying music video was ﬁlmed in the Hungarian capital and includes archival footage of Duplantis as a young athlete. The Louisiana-born Duplantis told the Olympics

RESPECT

FASHION

said. NORD’s facility cost list is online, but Scheirman said that hasn’t always been the case. She said she’s had to contact NORD directly for quotes in recent years. Scheirman’s baseball league has played at NORD facilities for years, but recent issues with ongoing construction, a lack of lighting and a $23,000 quote for the season has made the league reconsider its options in the future. Information gath ered from the public will be integrated into in the criteria the commission uses to evaluate candidates. NORD officials have also extended the time before the survey closes to Monday.

Angeles, where the students see the Fashion District and how manufacturing facilities operate, learn to make their own product samples and visit established fashion houses to understand the range of career types within the design industry. Mayes, who opened his first Emline store on Rendon Street four years ago and a second in Houston last year, didn’t break into the fashion industry until he was 26. He said he used the Emline Foundation to start the Designer Kids to LA fellowship to create something he wished he had when he was in high school. And since launching last spring, Mayes said the program has been just as rewarding for him as the kids. “This is one of the best projects I’ve ever created,” he said. “Being able to give back what I’ve learned and what I’ve received from other people is a blessing to

By The Associated Press

Continued from page 1B

Email Joni Hess at joni. hess@theadvocate.com.

LOMBARD

me within itself, not just to them.” Mayes was recognized by members of the New Orleans City Council on Thursday for creating the program where there had previously been few mentorship opportunities available. “Programs like Designer Kids to LA are important be-

cause talent is everywhere in this city and opportunities like this help bring that talent to life,” said City Council Vice President Matthew Willard. “New Orleans has always been a special place of creativity, talent and entrepreneurial spirit. We must continue creating pathways for our young people to thrive right

here in the city of New Orleans.” The fellowship will continue through the end of the school year, and applications for next year’s group will open in March, Mayes said. Email Desiree Stennett at desiree.stennett@ theadvocate.com.

Email Matt Bruce at matt.bruce@theadvocate. com.

she heard of an impending lawsuit. Lombard had reasons for believing she had ﬁled her 2023 state tax return, her attorney argued. The majority of the court appeared sympathetic to this claim, pointing to evidence that Lombard had a 20-year working relationship with her accountant, that Lombard’s 2023 federal tax return was accepted

and a refund applied, and that Lombard was due a refund for her 2023 state tax return. “The district court judge weighed her credibility and believed that she truly believed that the 2023 state tax return had been filed,” the majority also found. The majority opinion was written by Judge Paula Brown.

Attorneys for the two challengers could not immediately be reached for comment Saturday. The case may now be appealed to the Louisiana Supreme Court. Staff writer John Simerman contributed to this report.

Email Haley Miller at haley.miller@theadvocate. com.

Continued from page 1B To qualify as a candidate, Lombard had to certify that she had ﬁled her state and federal income tax returns for the previous ﬁve years. Debose said records she obtained from the Louisiana Department of Revenue

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO

Armand Duplantis bites his gold medal as he celebrates winning the men’s pole vault final at the European Athletics Championships in Birmingham, England, on Aug. 16. channel last year he uses his music “as a way of therapy. I really love to have something else to be able to do, and to kind of take myself away from sports a little bit.” At the Ultimate Championship, his new song “will be woven into the broadcast and live-event experience,

connecting fans in-stadium with audiences around the world,” World Athletics said. Duplantis is scheduled to perform “Gold” live in-stadium to close out the event. “The Ultimate is purposefully designed to showcase the talents and passions of our sport’s biggest stars, on

and off the track,” World Athletics President Sebastian Coe said. “Mondo is one of our most recognizable and accomplished athletes, and we could not be more excited that he is the one who created the Ultimate Anthem.” The championship will be a biennial event.

Continued from page 1B

indicated Lombard had not ﬁled a 2023 state tax return, and her attorney argued that Lombard made a false claim on her qualifying form. Lombard said her longtime accountant submitted her 2023 state tax returns at the same time as her federal returns to her, and that she had not been aware of an issue with her 2023 state tax filing until

Continued from page 1B Funez and Niukura Gonzalez, both 25, early on the morning of Feb. 8, 2020, in the 4000 block of Ulloa Street. A jury last month found Cloud guilty of armed robbery, attempted armed robbery and two counts of second-degree murder after four days of trial. Orleans Parish Criminal District Judge Simone Levine imposed mandatory life sentences without parole on Cloud for the two murder counts. She also handed him the maximum 99-year sentence for the armed robbery conviction and 40 years for attempted armed robbery. The lengthy sentence sent members of Cloud’s family running in tears from the courtroom. They mourned his fate in the hallways. Cloud maintained his innocence, telling Levine he was forced to go to trial with an attorney he didn’t want in Miles Swanson. Cloud also claimed his constitutional rights were violated. Family testiﬁed that he was a “lost” child failed by the justice system. Assistant District Attorney Corbin Bates, who led the state’s prosecution, asked Cloud if he could take accountability for killing Funez and Gonzales now that he’s been found guilty. “What you want me to say?” Cloud answered. “You want me to get up here and lie on myself? Some loved ones who grieved the two victims expressed frustration over delays in the case. Levine acknowledged rancor from both sides. “There is nothing a criminal court can do when the pain and hurt is so deep,” she said. Funez and Gonzales were sitting in a parked truck shortly after midnight when Cloud approached on a bicycle, armed with a gun and wearing a hooded jacket, according to prosecutors. A struggle ensued when Cloud tried to rob the pair, and he shot them. Funez died at the scene and Gonzales succumbed as paramedics rushed her to University Medical Center. Real Time Crime Scene cameras captured the incident and helped lead investigators to Cloud. During a raid of his home, detectives found clothes similar to those worn by the shooter as well as 9 mm ammunition of the same caliber used in the slayings. Detectives recovered pants that had Funez’s blood on them. Blood on Funez’s hand matched Cloud’s DNA, authorities said. Brydie Wines, one of Gonzalez’s friends, described her as a tall, beautiful, “loud and proud” Puerto Rican woman with deep dimples and a broad smile. She said video showed Gonzales trying to fight her attacker off from an attempted purse-snatching. “You were a coward with a gun. You stole her from us,” Wines told Cloud in court. Gonzalez’s younger brother, Michael Pibernus, stressed the impact her loss will have on her young daughters. “I hope it was worth it to be where he’s at right now, and I’ll let God be the judge of it all,” Pibernus said. “He got what he deserves, and I hope he rots in hell.”

Olympic medalist launches event anthem Lafayette High grad pairing sports, music

LIFE

PROVIDED PHOTO By SAMUEL J. MyERS

James Mayes, center, owner of local fashion brand Emline, was celebrated during a recent New Orleans City Council meeting for creating a fashion fellowship for local high school students.

Email Willie Swett at willie.swett@theadvocate. com.

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New Orleans Area Deaths Ferrara, Salvador

Obituaries Ferrara, Salvador Joseph

tinue to be treasured by all who were fortunate enough to share them. A visitation will be held at First Baptist Church in Slidell, Louisiana, on August 29, 2026, beginning at 10:00 a.m., followed by the Funeral Service at 11:00 a.m. May he rest in eternal peace, reunited with his beloved wife, Darlene. In lieu of flowers, the family request that donations be sent in honor of Salvador Joseph Ferrara to Scott's Wish Inc. https://www.cha ritynavigator.org/ein/2635 66004. Guestbook Online:w ww.anewtraditionbegins. com (504)282-0600. Linear Brooks Boyd and Donavin D. Boyd Owners/Funeral Directors.

Salvador Joseph Ferrara March 23, 1947August 12, 2026 Salvador Joseph Ferrara, age 79, of Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, passed away peacefully at his home on August 12, 2026. He was preceded in death by his beloved wife, Darlene Ann Ferrara, and his parents, Vincent C. Ferrara and Mary S. Ferrara, who welcomed him in eternal rest. He is lovingly remembered by his family, including his brother, Vincent C. Ferrara; his daughter, Lisa Ferrara Lambert; and his grandson, David Richard Jr., all of whom will cherish his memory and the time they shared with him. Salvador attended Warren Easton High School and proudly served in the National Guard. A hardworking businessman, he was the proud owner of Ferrara's Refrigeration. Salvador's love of cooking was one of the most meaningful ways he expressed care for those around him. His meals were more than food; they were moments of gathering, laughter, and connection that brought family and friends together. He had a natural gift in the kitchen and rarely relied on written recipes, instead cooking with intuition, experience, and heart. The dishes he prepared reflected his generosity and warmth, and the memories created around his table will con-

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Additional jobless pay set to begin

ELEC TION 2020 PRESIDENT

THE RACE IS ON

Unemployed to get $600 more per week from stimulus package BY SAM KARLIN

COVID-19 CORONAVIRUS: THE LATEST

CASES IN LA.

652 deaths

17,030 positive cases INSIDE ä Mnuchin:

Direct deposits to start next week, 2A

ä La. nursing

home deaths up to 130, 5A

ä More testing

options available in N.O., 1B

Staff writer

Louisiana is set to start doling out supercharged unemployment benefits of $600 more a week on Monday, providing the first wave of relief to a staggering number of residents seeking aid as the coronavirus rocks the state’s economy. But as benefits begin flowing and officials project no part of Louisiana is on track to run out of hospital beds or ventilators in the coming 10 days, Gov. John Bel Edwards warned Wednesday it will be a long time before things return to normal. Until there is a vaccine and medication that can treat the virus — prospects that are months or longer away — Edwards said people will likely not see “life as you knew it before COVID-19.” Although at some point restrictions will be loosened, it remains unclear exactly what that will look like, Edwards said. The state will rely heavily on the federal government and will need far more testing, along with contact tracing and isolation of patients who later test positive, he said. “I promise you no matter what the timeline looks like, it’s going to be quicker if everyone follows the stay-at-home order,” the governor said. In the meantime, as the order is set to keep thousands of businesses closed until at least April 30, the Louisiana Workforce Commission will start paying out the extra $600 per week benefit to unemployed Louisiana

ä See JOBLESS, page 6A

Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden speaks during a March campaign rally in Detroit.

BY WILL SENTELL Staff writer

Louisiana public school superintendents Wednesday asked Gov. John Bel Edwards to extend his schools closure order through the end of the academic year because of the coronavirus. The request significantly boosts chances that classrooms will remain locked for nearly 720,000 public school students

and that the school year will have effectively ended for many students on March 13. “By not having students return to school facilities this school year combined with social distancing intervention there could be lessening or even prevention of further community spread of the virus,” superintendents said in their request to the governor.

ä See SCHOOLS, page 6A

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTOS

President Donald Trump arrives to speak at a January rally in Washington, D.C.

Sanders drops out, leaving former Vice President Biden the presumptive Democratic challenger to Trump BY WILL WEISSERT

Superintendents want schools to stay closed

Associated Press

WASHINGTON — Sen. Bernie Sanders ended his presidential bid on Wednesday, making Joe Biden the presumptive Democratic nominee to challenge President Donald Trump in a general election campaign that will be waged against the backdrop of the coronavirus pandemic. Sanders initially ex- Sanders ceeded sky-high expectations about his ability to re-create the magic of his 2016 presidential bid and even overcame a heart attack in October. But he couldn’t convert unwavering support from progressives into a viable path to the nomination, with “electability” fears fueled by questions about whether his democratic socialist ide-

ology would be palatable to general election voters. “The path toward victory is virtually impossible,” Sanders told supporters Wednesday. “If I believed we had a feasible path to the nomination, I would certainly continue the campaign, but it’s just not there.” He called Biden a “very decent man” but didn’t offer an explicit endorsement of the former vice president. Sanders said his name would remain on the ballot in states that have not yet held primaries so he can gain more delegates and “exert signiﬁcant influence” on the Democratic platform. Biden, who is backed by much of the party’s establishment, told supporters at a virtual fundraiser that he had a “short conversation” with Sanders on Wednesday. “He didn’t just run a political campaign. He created a movement,” Biden said. “That’s a good thing for our na-

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tion and our future. His campaign has ended, but I know his leadership will continue.” Trump sought to foment the tension among Democrats by tweeting Wednesday that the party stacked the race against Sanders. The president said the senator’s supporters “should come to the Republican Party.” Sanders began his latest White House bid facing questions about whether he could win back the supporters who chose him four years ago as an insurgent alternative to Hillary Clinton. Despite winning 22 states in 2016, there were no guarantees he’d be a major presidential contender this cycle. But Sanders used strong polling and solid fundraising — collected almost entirely from small donations made online — to quiet early doubters. Like the ﬁrst time, he attracted widespread

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YOUR VIEWS N O L A.C O M/opinions

Fauci had power with little accountability, and then the bill came due

Utility projects must truly serve Louisiana families, not just corporations

Dr. David Elizardi’s recent letter is a master class in selective amnesia and institutional loyalty. He scolds Cal Thomas for “throwing stones” while treating Anthony Fauci as some secular saint who merely “adapted” as science evolved. That is not how history works. Fauci didn’t just “change recommendations.” He systematically misled the public, suppressed debate and protected a catastrophic origin theory while millions suffered the consequences of his policies. He told Americans masks were useless, then demanded they wear them. He said the lab-leak hypothesis was a conspiracy theory while his own emails showed he was frantically managing the fallout from alleged gain-of-function research his institute, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, had funded. He pushed lockdowns and school closures with near-religious fervor long after the data showed that damage to children, small businesses and the working class far outweighed the beneﬁts for most people. He promoted vaccine mandates and social coercion while the shots failed to stop transmission the way the public was led to believe. The “80-90% of hospitalized patients were unvaccinated” talking point from August 2021 is not the knockout blow Elizardi thinks it is. By that point, the most vulnerable had already been hit hard, and the vaccines’ protection was visibly declining. Citing hospital occupancy while ignoring excess deaths among the young, the mental-health catastrophe, the learning loss and the economic wreckage is the classic technocrat’s dodge: Look only at the one metric that ﬂatters the policy. Calling criticism of Fauci “political retribution” is rich. The man spent decades as the unelected face of public health, wielding enormous power with almost no accountability. When that power produced catastrophic errors and he responded with arrogance and institutional cover, people noticed. That is not retribution. That is the delayed bill coming due.

Recent reporting on Entergy’s proposed multi-billion-dollar investment tied to Meta’s planned data center should concern residents across Louisiana. At a time when many families are already struggling with high electricity bills, utility companies and state leaders must prioritize everyday ratepayers before expanding infrastructure for large corporations. Louisiana residents already pay some of the highest electricity costs in the region while dealing with an unreliable power grid. After repeated hurricanes, heat waves and outages, many households are still trying to recover financially. Yet Entergy is now proposing massive new energy investments connected to one of the wealthiest technology companies in the world. Before these projects move forward, the public deserves clear answers. Who will ultimately pay for these upgrades? Will residential customers face even higher monthly bills? And will these investments improve reliability for Louisiana communities or mainly benefit corporate interests? For New Orleans residents, reliable infrastructure is not a luxury; it is a necessity. Our communities face flooding, extreme heat, stronger storms and aging utility systems every year. Investments in the power grid should focus first on improving reliability and keeping energy affordable for working families. Economic development matters, but it should not come at the expense of residents already struggling to afford basic necessities. Louisiana leaders must ensure that utility projects truly serve the public, not just corporations seeking cheap energy and tax incentives. The people paying monthly utility bills deserve transparency, accountability and a stronger voice in these decisions.

TIM EATON New Orleans

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published identifying name and the writer’s city of residence. The Advocate | The Times-Picayune require a street address and TO SEND US A LETTER, phone number SCAN HERE for verification purposes, but that information is not published. Letters are not to exceed 300 words. Letters to the Editor, The Advocate, P.O. Box 588, Baton Rouge, LA 70821-0588, or email letters@theadvocate.com.

STAFF PHOTO By LESLIE WESTBROOK

A poster displaying the Ten Commandments is posted in a second grade classroom at a Lafayette Parish public school.

Johnson got a promotion with the 10 Commandments

Ten Commandments? Looks like 11 on the page. Besides the fact that we should keep a separation of church and state, there seem to be greater issues associated with the posting of the “10” Commandments in schools per state law. First, how about we post the foundational set of moral, religious or ethical teachings from other religions too, e.g., Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism and Taoism to name a selection? It would give Christian and Jewish students a comparative basis against their own foundational commandments and allow for inclusion of other religious beliefs into our classrooms. After all, isn’t the classroom a place of cooperative learning? Second, why is there a picture of Speaker Mike Johnson on the display poster across from Moses the Lawgiver? Johnson is a politician and a transient ﬁgure in a political party. Is the Louisiana

Family Forum, the group responsible for this ﬁasco, implying that Johnson is akin to Moses? If not, are we making an erroneous inference? Without more detailed information, it seems it could be either of the two; it just seems like Mike Johnson is rising in status. It’s also interesting that the Family Forum is pushing the view that the commandments are a cornerstone of Western civilization. True, “don’t kill or steal” shouldn’t be controversial per comments from Attorney General Liz Murrill, but then again, the Native Americans and maybe the slaves would have a different take on how those two cornerstones of Western civilization worked out for them. Lastly, no matter how I read this poster, I keep coming up with a count of 11 commandments as listed and printed on the poster. Maybe it’s just the punctuation.

WILLIAM R. FAULK Baton Rouge

Politicians need to stop the blame game Call it amusement, call it chicken poop; I call it shameful. The current city of New Orleans mayor and council are trying their best to manage a city and its various departments to save them from ﬁnancial insolvency. Now, Governor, your idol in D.C. won’t be there next term. Do you aspire to a next term as governor? Then stop dangling New Orleans as a municipal business over impossible, hot, bubbling oil. To me, the shame goes to both city and state. The current mayor and council are virtually the same people who sat on the council and ran the city business, all while amassing a huge budgetary shortfall. How is that possible? They tend to shift the blame to the previous mayor, whom I am no fan of as far as managing — but come on, council members. Where were you when the light went off? And now, because of some “short-sighted-

ness,” a grand jury sends a poison dart up to Attorney General Liz Murrill. Come on! I grew up in Chicago, under the municipal accountability of Mayors Daley, Bilandic, Byrne, Washington, Sawyer and Daley (son of). When you made a mistake, when you were part of a problem or maybe the cause, you raised your hand and showed you were a human being, able to make errors — not happy about it, but accountable. Blaming past administrations while on their council watch is loathsome. And, Governor! Grow up! Start governing based upon the overall responsibility you have to every citizen in Louisiana. Start managing your business in Louisiana — just like the many Republican governors of the state of Illinois governed with objectivity for the good of the people of Chicago and Illinois.

A different slant on newspaper bias? I read the letter from a reader registering his continuing disappointment with “your blatant bias” and had to laugh. A friend of mine in Covington told me she doesn’t read The TimesPicayune because “it’s too liberal.” A New Orleans friend told me she discontinued her Times-Picayune subscription because “it’s too conservative.” And a Mandeville friend told me how pleased she was to ﬁnd such a balance of views in The Times-Picayune!

CHARLOTTE SEIDENBERG Covington

PATRICK DUFFY New Orleans

Pickett, Daniels can both be in that number As I picked up the Sports section of the paper recently, I was faced with the problem of a jersey number for an LSU football player. I am sure that DJ Pickett is a talented player who deserves to have a special number on his jersey. He was promised this number by former coach Brian Kelly. Of course, we all know about former LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels, who won the Heisman Trophy and who also wore No. 5 on

AVERY PASCAL New Orleans

his jersey during his time at LSU. So it seems the parties are going to bring in lawyers to solve this dispute. I suggest there is no need for lawyers to get involved, because they will probably drag it out so they can make some money. My recommendation is to give Pickett No. 05. NCAA rules state that any number between 0 and 99 can be chosen.

BRIAN ALMON Metairie

We’ll remember Trump long after term ends People are speculating on what President Donald Trump’s legacy will be after his term is over (ﬁnally) in 2028. Here are a few suggestions: A big hole in the White House lawn; a green reﬂecting pool on the National Mall. A closed Strait of Hormuz. Two impeachments (so far). A failed coup attempt. Separated families. Earth too hot to live on and a huge national debt.

THOMAS DIEMER Kenner

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COMMENTARY Leader quietly, selflessly saved UNO and LSU New Orleans The University of New Orleans’ return to the LSU System last month as LSU New Orleans brought due fanfare to the Lakefront campus. The occasion was also celebrated more than 5,000 miles away — at LSU New Orleans’ 50th annual summer session in the historic alpine city of Innsbruck, Austria. I was honored to join the festivities there as both a UNO alumnus and a firsttime adjunct professor. We had several reaClancy sons to celebrate in InnsDuBos bruck. In addition to rejoining the LSU System and reaching the summer program’s half-century mark, we got to see outgoing UNO President Kathy Johnson spend her final days at the university’s helm mixing with students, faculty and alumni. Johnson’s presence in Innsbruck meant a lot to those who know how tirelessly she worked to help UNO resolve the massive deficit that she inherited — and how selflessly she ensured UNO’s smooth transition back into the LSU System. “Kathy Johnson discovered UNO’s deep financial and enrollment crisis soon after her arrival,” said National WWII Museum co-founder and former UNO history professor Nick Mueller, who founded the UNO-Innsbruck summer program in 1976. “Instead of sweeping it under the rug, she courageously dug into the books and disclosed the depth of the problem to the higher-ed community, to the public and to elected leaders. She was transparent at every step.” Johnson addressed the crisis on several fronts. She convinced legislative leaders to provide state funding to keep UNO open and took the hits for making painful but necessary cuts. She also began teaching classes, signaling to faculty who now had to take on larger teaching loads that she would share that load. “I recall meeting a student who had taken her class and was very impressed that the university president would teach a course,” said Deb Karhson, who, like Johnson, earned her doctorate in psychology. “It foreshadowed the kind of president that Kathy was. She led by her example. It was inspiring to watch her.” Among Johnson’s examples: When staffing cuts impeded efforts to remove furniture before demolishing the Liberal Arts Building, Johnson and her husband Richard helped student workers move the furniture themselves. Richard, who was not a UNO employee, even obtained a commercial driver’s

STAFF FILE PHOTO By SOPHIA GERMER

UNO president Kathy Johnson answers questions from the community about UNO’s financial issues in 2024. license so he could haul the furniture away. “The most impactful thing about Kathy was seeing her and her husband put sweat equity into this university,” Karhson said. “I will always attribute the university’s survival and transition into LSU to her.” I met Karhson and more than a dozen other LSU New Orleans faculty and staff during my stint as a novice instructor in Innsbruck. That experience taught me why so many program alumni described their summers studying abroad — an opportunity I didn’t have as a college student — as “lifechanging.” Since its founding 50 years ago, UNOInnsbruck has served more than 12,000 students and blossomed into one of the nation’s most successful summerabroad programs. It merits strong support from the LSU System because its continued success represents a win for LSU. Looking ahead, Mueller will chair the committee searching for Johnson’s successor. Finding the right leader will not be easy, but it will be critical to the success of LSU New Orleans — and to LSU itself. “Kathy saved the university and set it on a new path with her best wishes,” Mueller said. “That’s her legacy. Now it is the search committee’s job to help LSU leaders ﬁnd the best chancellor to serve the current and future generations of students.” For her part, Johnson now serves as St. Louis University’s executive vice

president and provost, the institution’s second-highest office. I recently spoke with her about LSU New Orleans’ future. She offered some sage advice. “The first thing LSU New Orleans needs to do is realign its budget to make sure it’s fiscally strong and healthy without duplicating what’s going on in Baton Rouge but leans into its mission, focusing on access and affordability. If you live your mission and shine a light on what’s going well, it will be good for all. Recognize when opportunities arise, don’t duplicate — and have strong research programs.” There’s a lot to shine a light on at LSU New Orleans. It’s the state’s only urban research university. It has the state’s only School of Hotel, Restaurant and Tourism Management, its only School of Naval Architecture, the only School of Engineering in southeast Louisiana and the state’s best public university jazz studies program — to name just a few. The LSU System would be wise to pump resources into LSU New Orleans’ research programs and all of its centers of excellence. Doing so would help rebuild LSU New Orleans and help raise LSU into the Top 50 universities in America. It would also be a fitting “thank you” to Kathy Johnson for saving UNO — and LSU New Orleans. Clancy DuBos formerly wrote political columns in Gambit and The Times-Picayune. Contact him at clancydubos@icloud.com.

Why can’t we fix the oil problem? “We are the United States of America and there is nothing we can’t do if we do it together.” — President Joe Biden

ter, Andy Burnham, urging him to tap more light, sweet crude from the North Sea. Trump says Burnham responded that he would take a “pragmatic I am not in the habit of favorapproach” to opening up the region, which is rich in oil and ably quoting the former presigas. Trump said if he did, it dent, but he was right when would massively boost the UK he said this. Why, then, are we economy. still beholden to Iran and Saudi Not only has the U.S. been Arabia for so much of our oil Cal held for years to Middle needs? Thomas East captive oil, we have allowed farA Wall Street Journal headline left environmentalists to set says: “Gulf States are Resigned To Iran Control of Strait (of Hormuz).” the agenda, depriving us of oil from offshore California and Florida. Critics Must we also be resigned to an unalways raise the specter of oil spills ending dependence on Middle East and damage to wildlife and beaches, oil? Presidents since Jimmy Carter but improved technology has reduced have said we must overcome that the likelihood of such events. The aldependence and loosen their grip on our economy. The problem is the difternative is more of what we have now: ference between American production continued spending of billions of doland that which comes from the Middle lars, along with the cost in human lives East. while trying to keep the oil flowing While the U.S. mostly produces light, from the Persian Gulf region. sweet crude from shale formations, the Iran has the U.S. over an oil barrel. Middle East largely supplies heavier, They are betting Democrats will take higher-sulfur crude. Old U.S refinerover Congress in the fall election and deny the president funds to continue ies were not built to process heavier targeting their country. Depending on crude. Building new ones would cost who you ask, the U.S. naval blockade billions of dollars. They would also seems to be working. Iran’s economy be hampered by environmental laws. is in shambles, but the ayatollahs don’t Some consider new refineries a bad care about their people, or they would financial risk as the country shifts tonot slaughter anti-government demonward renewable energy and electric vehicles. strators and engage in public hangings. That sounds like defeatism to me. Putting Democrats back in a conPresident Donald Trump says he has gressional majority won’t solve the spoken to the UK’s new prime minisproblem. Gas prices and inflation were

higher during the Biden administration. If the U.S. is forced to stop attacking Iran due to lack of funds, Iran is likely to resume its effort to create a nuclear weapon and the rockets to deliver them to Israel and the U.S. We will not likely see gas prices signiﬁcantly decline as the president said they would after what he wrongly predicted would be a two-week war. Besides, there will always be a need — at least as far as anyone can see — for petroleum, which is in thousands of everyday products we use, including cosmetics, medicines, plastics and synthetic fabrics like nylon. Rather than accepting defeat and wringing our hands, I prefer the approach of President John F. Kennedy, who said in a 1962 speech at Rice University in Houston: “We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win, and the others, too.” Many have started this sentence to encourage others to do the hard things: “If we can go to the moon…” You can ﬁnish it.

Trump’s Iran struggle comes through on campaign stump One interesting thing about listening to President Donald Trump’s speeches, as opposed to just reading about them later, is that the listener not only gets to hear what Trump said, he also gets to hear Trump commenting in real time on what the speechwriters intended for him to say. That’s the beauty of Trump’s longtime issue with the teleprompter; he never sticks precisely to the script. “I hate reading these boring speeches, because, to be honest with you ... isn’t it nice to have a president that doesn’t have to read a teleprompter?” Trump told the crowd at a law-enforcement-themed campaign rally Byron in Garden City, New York, reYork cently. “Teleprompters are easy. They’re boring.” A small but notable example: When Trump’s written speech called for him to take credit for building up the military, the words that actually came out of the president’s mouth were: “You know, I built the military, and now I used it — a little bit more than I wanted to, frankly, but that’s OK, because we cannot let Iran have a nuclear weapon.” It was a revealing moment when the war in Iran popped up in a speech devoted mostly to public safety and the economy. The “a little bit more than I wanted to, frankly” aside seemed a reference to Iran in a number of ways. First, it referred to Trump’s determination that a second, large-scale attack was necessary after the first U.S. bombing of Iran’s nuclear facilities in June 2025 apparently failed to fully do the job. Second, it referred to the fact that the current war has taken several unexpected turns, to say the least. And third, it referred to the length of the war — nearly six months so far, much longer than Trump originally predicted. Now, with the war in a stalemate and midterm elections less than three months away, Trump is asking voters for time. Just a while longer, he suggested, and Iran will be like his other successes. “How about Venezuela?” Trump said. “Venezuela was a one-day war, and now we work great with them. We’ve taken in millions and millions of barrels of oil ... we’re doing good in every way.” The way Trump framed the story was that the American economy was going gangbusters, doing extremely well earlier this year, when he reluctantly decided the U.S. had to take a “journey” to Iran. “I said to my guys, I said to Howard, Scott, Marco” — a reference to Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Secretary of State Marco Rubio — “I said, fellas, we have just had the best month ever, anyone’s ever had as president,” Trump said. The price of gas was low and the future was bright. “I said, I have bad news for you guys; we have to make a little journey to the Middle East because we have to put out a potential disaster, a very big fire, fire like you’ve never seen.” But the war is not settled, and Trump made a big ask for the voters’ patience. “So I just say this, for you to pay a tiny little bit more for your gasoline, just remember, you’re doing it so that a very evil country cannot have — a country, really, it’s the No. 1 state sponsor of terror in the world. We don’t want them to have a nuclear weapon. So remember that, when you have to pay a little bit more. You’re at $4 [a gallon]. It’s OK. I mean, it’s — I’m not — I’m not, I’ll never apologize. I did the right thing, but you could — you know, if you didn’t have [the war] you’d be at, I mean, I had it down to below $2 in many states.” It was an extraordinary moment. Talk to any Republican strategist handling midterm races, and he will tell you that GOP voters’ biggest concern about the war is the fact that it has resulted in higher gas prices. So for Trump to minimize the problem in the way that he did — “a tiny little bit more for your gasoline” — seemed tone deaf, at best. The big picture of the speech is that it showed Trump struggling with the war at a time when he needs to present a picture of strength and confidence to voters deciding what Congress will look like for the next two years. And that struggle will likely not stop until Trump can figure out a way to extricate himself from the mess in Iran. Byron York is on X, @Bryon York.

Email Cal Thomas at tcaeditors@ tribpub.com.

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6B ✦ Monday,August 24, 2026 ✦ nola.com ✦ The Times-Picayune

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with meteorologist Damon Singleton

TODAY

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

Showers, heavy thunderstorms

A couple of t-storms; humid

Some rain and a thunderstorm

Cloudy, a t-storm; humid

Some rain and a thunderstorm

Humid with a stray t-storm

HIGH

LOW

HIGH

96° 78°

LOW

HIGH

90° 77°

LOW

92° 78°

HIGH

Beaumont 97/77

High/low Normal high/low Last year’shigh/low Record high Record low

Port Arthur 96/77

Baton Rouge 95/76

Lake Charles 94/79

10s

20s

30s

Houma 95/76

40s

50s

YESTERDAY

60s

70s

80s

90s 100s 110s

AUG 27

City

Atlanta Austin Boston Charlotte Chicago Dallas Denver Houston Las Vegas

PRECIPITATION

97°/80° 91°/77° 94°/77° 102° in 2023 62° in 1956

Sunrise today Sunset tonight Moonrise today Moonset today FULL

Shown are areas of precipitation and high temperatures for the day.

LOW

TODAY’S TIDES Lake Pontchartrain (Tchefuncte River) Shell Beach South Point, Marsh Island Cypremort Point Grand Isle (Barataria Pass) Mississippi River (Southwest Pass) Wine Island

New Orleans 96/78

Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows.

Hattiesburg 90/74

Alexandria 98/76

Lafayette 96/78

HIGH

90° 76°

New Orleans through 5 p.m. Sunday

Jackson 92/74 Many 102/77

LOW

89° 78°

TEMPERATURE

Longview 105/79

-0s

LOW

Monroe 92/75

Shreveport 102/78

-10s

HIGH

92° 77°

Once again today across southeast Louisiana, we’re under a major or an extreme heat risk. Heat index values this afternoon could rise to 110 or higher while the actual temperatures will rise to the midto upper 90s. We are also under a slight risk of severe weather so expect scattered to numerous showers and storms this afternoon. Additionally, some storms could result in minor flooding. Numerous lightning strikes and pea-size hail are also a possibility. Grab your umbrella and stay hydrated.

24-hour total Month to date Normal month to date year to date Normal year to date

HIGH

6:09p 12:11p 5:24a 7:25a 7:52a 7:08a 9:00a

FT.

NEW

SEP 4

91 106 82 89 78 107 91 102 105

TODAY Lo

68 76 65 64 59 83 63 78 83

FIRST

SEP 10

pc s s s pc pc t pc s

SEP 18

91 104 79 88 80 105 88 100 108

TUE. Lo

71 76 64 68 64 81 59 80 87

FT.

HIGH

0.8 5:21a 0.0 1.7 11:32p 0.0 2.0 6:59p 0.0 2.1 11:00p 0.3 1.5 7:13p 0.1 1.7 5:27p 0.0 1.8 8:15p 0.1

6:34 a.m. 7:33 p.m. 5:37 p.m. 3:02 a.m.

LAST

LOW

0.00” 1.33” 5.06” 40.94” 44.00”

pc s s pc pc pc t s s

FT.

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MODERATE

READING 90 MAIN POLLUTANT Ozone

MAIN POLLUTANT Ozone

SOURCE: LOUISIANA DEQ AND AIRNOW.GOV

LOW

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FT.

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The solunar period schedule allows planning days so you will be fishing in good territory or hunting in good cover during those times. Major periods begin at the times shown and last for 1.5 to 2 hours. The minor periods are shorter. MAJOR MINOR MAJOR MINOR

Today 9:03a Tuesday 9:47a Wednesday 10:30a Thursday 11:13a Friday 11:57a Saturday 12:21a Sunday 1:08a

City

Los Angeles 96 Miami 93 Nashville 88 New york City 79 Philadelphia 82 Phoenix 109 St. Louis 83 San Francisco 72 Seattle 79

2:50a 3:35a 4:18a 5:02a 5:46a 6:32a 7:19a

TODAY Lo

72 80 61 64 64 89 65 58 58

9:27p 10:11p 10:53p 11:36p ---12:42p 1:31p

s t pc s s t pc pc pc

TODAY

MODERATE

95 93 89 78 82 114 86 73 85

3:15p 3:59p 4:42p 5:24p 6:08p 6:53p 7:42p

TUE. Lo

74 80 65 65 67 90 69 58 57

s t t s s s pc pc pc

Weather (W): s-sunny, pc-partly cloudy, c-cloudy, sh-showers, t-thunderstorms, r-rain, sf-snow flurries, sn-snow, i-ice.

MISSISSIPPI Memphis Vidalia-Natchez Red River Landing Baton Rouge Donaldsonville Reserve New Orleans OHIO Cairo COMITE Near Olive AMITE Near Darlington Denham Springs Port Vincent TICKFAW Montpelier Holden ATCHAFALAYA Simmesport Melville Krotz Springs Butte La Rose Bayou Sorrel Morgan City

FLOOD STAGE

34 48 48 35 27 22 17

SUN. 24-HOUR STAGE CHANGE

12.90 24.20 25.20 9.80 5.10 3.82 3.30

+0.74 +1.62 +1.10 +0.90 +0.30 +0.50 +0.22

29.88

+1.10

-1.45

-0.09

18 29 8

-0.65 10.36 1.30

+0.58 +0.27 +0.16

13 15

2.40 0.80

+0.96 +0.08

47 34 29 20 12 6

9.54 6.01 4.57 4.22 3.00 1.63

+0.74 +0.58 +0.53 +0.31 +0.20 +0.16

data as of 7 a.m. Sunday

SpaceX stirs in Lafayette real estate market Prospective buyers flocking to Vermilion

BY ADAM DAIGLE

Acadiana business editor

A 14-acre tract on the north side of Kaplan has sat empty for decades, despite being ready for development. Ricky LeBlanc and a business partner bought the property several years ago and proposed building 40 mobile homes there, but city officials rejected the plan. Nothing happened after that until LeBlanc got a call from the previous owner, longtime city engineer Gene Sellers, about six months ago that changed everything. “He said, ‘Did you hear anything about SpaceX?’ ” LeBlanc said. “I didn’t know if it was going to happen. He said, ‘It’s going to happen. There’s no doubt. Look, you’re going to have a hell of an opportunity.’ ” Now, with Gov. Jeff Landry expected to announce next week that SpaceX plans to build a multibillion-dollar spaceport in Vermilion Parish, LeBlanc said he has been contacted by multiple builders interested in developing 65 homes on the property. Once details become public — Gov. Jeff Landry has called a news conference at 11 a.m. Tuesday — a deal could happen, he said. Even before an official announcement, the prospect of SpaceX coming to Vermilion Parish is beginning to stir the local real estate market. Earlier this week, two real estate agents announced sales involving buyers connected to the anticipated project. Vermilion is already the hottest market in Acadiana this year outside Lafayette Parish thanks to the new construction in the Maurice area. But now that likely will increase signiﬁcantly, sources indicate, with dozens of speculative buyers expected to join the fray. “We’ve been getting a lot of activity on some properties that

have been sitting for a little while,” said James Noel Jr., of Sunrise Realty in Abbeville. “When the news first broke, there was a few properties going on contract with some speculation with long closing dates. There’s a buzz around town for sure.” So far this year, 55 more homes have sold in Vermilion Parish than during the same period last year, according to data from Bill Bacque, of Market Scope Consulting. New construction sales have reached 123, approaching the 137 homes sold during all of 2024. A big reason is the activity in Maurice and its proximity to Lafayette. Now that demand could change, said Jim Keaty, owner of Keaty Real Estate, with the land closer to the SpaceX site being more in demand than land closer to Lafayette. “I don’t know what the demand is going to be because there’s a lot of land between Abbeville and Kaplan,” he said. “People own a lot of acreage that people could do something with instantly for construction purposes. If you can put an RV park and it’s not in a flood zone, you might get $40,000 an acre. In Maurice, it’s worth $35,000 an acre of the stuff that’s selling.” Keaty expects temporary housing, including RV parks and worker camps, to be among the first developments to emerge as construction begins. He said the region does not have enough hotel rooms to accommodate what could be as many as 1,000 workers operating around the clock. Some landowners are getting unsolicited offers for property to put RV parks on, he said. Keaty said his company is already receiving calls from people looking to buy land. “It’s going to be like an army of ants,” he said. “Anywhere they can put somebody, I assume, is going to be in high demand.” The potential demand could also revive residential developments that have been approved but stalled because of weak demand. Noel said he has a 118-lot subdivision in Abbeville that has

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO

The sun rises behind SpaceX’s mega rocket Starship as it is prepared for a test flight from Starbase, Texas, on July 24. been ready for construction for about two years. “It’s kind of been on pause waiting on the market to correct itself,” he said. “This could be a huge market correction, you know what I mean?”

What to expect What happens next in Vermilion Parish is impossible to predict. But Brownsville offered one possible glimpse of how a massive SpaceX operation can reshape a community: bringing jobs, investment and new residents while also driving up the cost of housing. Just about everything changed when Elon Musk’s Starbase opened just outside the south Texas city over a decade ago, said Craig Grove, a Realtor who has been in that market since before Starbase arrived. Announced in 2012, the site employed more than 2,000 people by 2023. The population of Browns-

ville increased by nearly 10,000 between 2010 and 2020, census data shows. Prices for real estate, too, have increased signiﬁcantly. “They’ve literally changed the landscape economically,” Grove said. “(There are) goods and bads. But a lot of locals have been hurt by it. The cost of housing has doubled. I’d be lying to you if I told you I haven’t seen a change in the makeup of our community and who can afford to buy a house.” It wasn’t until 2018 or 2019, he recalled, when people started moving in and buying houses near Starbase. Yet the biggest surge came in 2021 when Musk took to Twitter to ask his millions of followers to move to Brownsville. That one tweet, Grove said, ﬂipped the real estate market on its ear. “Houses that had been sitting for four years sold overnight,” he

said. “It was insane. We had people coming from Africa, Panama and faraway cities in the U.S. just buying whatever they could. People were buying sight unseen.” When rockets are launched at Starbase without any issues, residents hardly notice it, he said. That can change when something goes wrong. Grove recalled one launch several years ago when a SpaceX rocket exploded. The explosion shook his house, which is 25 miles from the launch site. It was major news, but within hours, Musk had made donations of $10 million to downtown Brownsville’s revitalization efforts and $2 million to Brownsville schools, he said. “Elon did a major PR move,” he said. “It was like he had it queued up. It did create a soft landing for the drama.” Email Adam Daigle at adaigle@ theadvocate.com.

OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER OF THE NEW ORLEANS SAINTS

SPORTS N O L A.C O M

M o n d ay, au g u s t 24, 2026

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S A I N T S A T C O W B O y S • 7 P. M . F R I D A y • W V U E

Orgeron more than feel-good hire for Tigers BY KOKI RILEY Staff writer

STAFF PHOTO By BRETT DUKE

Saints wide receiver Barion Brown runs with the ball as Jacksonville Jaguars safety Jalen Huskey defends during a preseason game at the Caesars Superdome on Aug. 15.

INSIDE TRACK These Saints seem best positioned to make first cut

BY MATTHEW PARAS

Staff writer

Kellen Moore said he believes game ﬁlm is the ultimate resume in the NFL. Not to speak for the New Orleans Saints coach, but a beatdown like Saturday’s 34-0 preseason loss to the Los Angeles Rams may cause quite a few to seek a new line of work here soon. Roster cuts are looming as the league’s Sunday deadline fast approaches. Entering the ﬁnal week of the preseason, the Saints are coming off an ugly game that didn’t help those on the bubble. “When I was with the Giants under (Bill) Parcells, he said preseason games make cuts easy,” former Giants executive Greg Gabriel tweeted. “He said players cut themselves with their performance. That was almost 40 years ago but it still stands true.” Luckily for the Saints, there’s still a week of practice and one more game — Friday at the Dallas Cowboys — to leave a better impression before New Orleans has to set a 53-man roster and 16-man

practice squad. Let’s take a stab at predicting what the Saints might do when cuts are due.

Quarterback (3) Tyler Shough, Spencer Rattler, Zach Wilson: There was a time when keeping three quarterbacks might have been a luxury given other needs on the roster. But injuries at other positions, namely wide receiver, could create enough ﬂexibility to open spots elsewhere, such as quarterback. Wilson may not have snatched the backup job from Rattler after a disappointing outing against the Rams, but his body of work this summer has made the case he deserves to stick around. Plus, Rattler hasn’t been lights out. Keeping both players in the event Shough goes down with an injury seems reasonable. The backup battle isn’t over. Friday’s ﬁnale should go a long way toward settling it.

Running back (5) Travis Etienne, Alvin Kamara, Audric Estime, Kendre Miller, Devin Neal: Injuries make this position

tricky to evaluate. Kamara (knee), Estime (foot) and Neal are all hurt. On cutdown day, teams can designate up to two players to land on injured reserve without having to carry them on the initial 53. But if a team has more hurt players but wants to have them be eligible to return after a minimum of four games, then that player will have to be carried on the initial roster. For the Saints, one of those spots will likely be used on wide receiver Jordyn Tyson (hamstring). There are a number of candidates for the other designation. For these purposes, let’s predict that this doesn’t apply to running back. But after the initial 53 is set, Neal — who has had hamstring issues — lands on injured reserve. Elsewhere, Miller gets the nod over Ty Chandler and C.J. Donaldson. This may be the result of recency bias, but the 2023 third-rounder still runs hard despite his lengthy injury history, which includes missing nearly two weeks

ä See SAINTS, page 3C

Last Monday morning at the Charles McClendon Practice Facility, Ed Orgeron was finally silent. An illness had left the boisterous Orgeron unavailable for LSU’s ninth preseason practice. Coach Lane Kiffin sent him home that day, but Kiffin doesn’t expect his gregarious assistant coach to stay quiet often this season. “I’m trying to find a word. I don’t know,” Ole Miss transfer edge rusher Princewill Umanmielen said when asked about Orgeron. “He was loud though, Orgeron that’s what I can say … he was real passionate.” After four seasons away from the sidelines, Orgeron is back at LSU for a second stint with the program. He spent six seasons at LSU in his first tenure, arriving as the defensive line coach and eventually finishing his first year as the interim head coach. He was head coach for the next five seasons, leading the Tigers to a national championship in 2019 before an 11-11 record over his last two campaigns ended his tenure in 2021. Orgeron did not take another coaching job after his dismissal from LSU. He returns to Baton Rouge as Kiffin’s special assistant to recruiting and defense. He has maintained a strong relationship with Kiffin since he worked under him as an assistant coach at Southern Cal and Tennessee from 2009-13. His recruiting chops — arguably his strongest asset during his initial tenure — have already helped LSU since he returned in May. “We have a background,” Kiffin said, “and it’s pretty easy for him to sit and sell to a kid why to come to LSU and why to play for his head coach — more than anyone else on the planet could sell — so it’s really just a perfect situation.” As a coach, Orgeron can be heard barking orders at practice, mostly directing his words toward an LSU defensive line that is talented but young.

ä See ORGERON, page 4C

As LSU embarks on ‘mock’ game week, questions linger ahead of Clemson BY JON BLAU Staff writer

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By LINDSEy WASSON

Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Kade Anderson is greeted in the dugout after facing the Chicago Cubs in the first inning of his major league debut on Saturday in Seattle.

Anderson soaked in moment before debut

The 22-year-old Anderson got Ex-LSU ace arrives done with his warmup routine on Saturday quicker than usual before for playoff chase his much-ballyhooed big league

BY ANDREW DESTIN

AP sportswriter

SEATTLE — Well before Kade Anderson threw his ﬁrst MLB pitch, the Seattle Mariners’ prized lefthander took some time to make a few fans’ day.

debut against the Chicago Cubs. So rather than ignore the young fans who watched his bullpen session, Anderson did a little something out of the ordinary and scribbled his signature a handful of times before the Mariners beat the Cubs 5-4 in

ä See ANDERSON, page 3C

This week will end with a college football Saturday. That includes LSU. Even though the Tigers don’t have a Week 0 game, Lane Kiffin has scheduled a “mock” game week in advance of the Sept. 5 opener against Clemson. LSU will install its Clemson game plan and experience a “mock” game, complete with a trip to the pregame hotel and a rehearsal from the LSU band. “We got everything on there to make sure that when we run out there on Saturday in Tiger Stadium,” Kiffin said, “outside of the fans, we’ve gone through everything else.” Kiffin seems to be checking every box as a season of immense expectations approaches. He’s not only running a transfer-heavy roster through its paces, he’s still working to add players made eligible by a Louisiana court ruling last week. Notre Dame edge rusher Junior Tuihalamaka committed to LSU on Friday. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Sunday that former Ole Miss tight end Dae’Quan Wright, who was just cut from the Cleveland Browns’ roster, will land at

STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

LSU wide receiver Jayce Brown spins around to make the catch during a preseason practice on Aug. 17. LSU if he clears waivers. That could happen some time Monday. The days leading up to an opener rarely have been so eventful, but LSU has two weeks to sort everything out. Here are some of the questions that remain:

Is the roster set? Kiffin said in the spring he wished there was a second portal

window because he didn’t have a complete sense of LSU’s transfer needs when the ﬁrst one was active in January. A temporary restraining order pried opened up a second one, just a couple of weeks before the opener. How far does Kifﬁn want to go with this?

ä See LSU, page 4C

2C ✦ Monday, August 24, 2026 ✦ nola.com ✦ The Times-Picayune

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BROADCAST HIGHLIGHTS On TV

WOMEN’S COLLEGE VOLLEYBALL 5 p.m. Pittsburgh vs. Xavier FS2 7 p.m. Texas vs. Marquette FS2 CYCLING 7:30 a.m. UCI: 2026 Vuelta a España NBCSN LITTLE LEAGUE BASEBALL WORLD SERIES Noon Chiriqui vs. Vancouver ESPN

2 p.m. 4 p.m. 6 p.m.

Hamilton vs. Boerne ESPN Brno vs. Tokyo ESPN West Chester vs. Phenix City ESPN MLB 5:40 p.m. Tampa Bay at Detroit FS1 8:45 p.m. Cincinnati at San Francisco FS1 MEN’S SOCCER 11:30 a.m. Lazio at Bologna CBSSN

IN BRIEF

FROM STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS

12:45 p.m. Al-Hazem at Al Ittihad FS2 2 p.m. Chelsea at Fulham USA TENNIS 10 a.m. U.S. Open Qualifying ESPN2 Noon U.S. Open Qualifying Tennis WNBA 7 p.m. Golden State at Minnesota USA 9 p.m. Atlanta at Los Angeles NBCSN

Blaney nabs New Hampshire win By The Associated Press LOUDON, N.H. — Ryan Blaney and his team wound up making the most of a major mistake Sunday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. The Team Penske star just needed a moment to vent on his team radio about a pit crew blunder before charging from 17th to first for his second consecutive NASCAR Cup Series win at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. “Whenever I say those things after something bad happens, it’s my relief valve,” Blaney said about scolding his team with an expletive. “I have to get it out in the open, or I’ll be stewing over it a while. That’s how I have to get over things. I wish I wasn’t that way, but I’d rather it be that way than have it be in the back of my mind the rest of the race, not thinking of the main goal. It takes me five or 10 seconds to move on.” After shaking it off, Blaney recovered to lead the final 74 laps on the 1.058-mile oval, fending off runner-up Bubba Wallace by 0.586 seconds. Josh Berry, who is trying to find a ride for the 2027 season, finished a season-best third, the fourth consecutive top 10 for the Wood Brothers Racing driver. The top five was rounded out by Christopher Bell and Kyle Larson. Ryan Preece finished ninth and kept his Chase hopes alive by gaining 19 points on Shane van Gisbergen, who finished 20th and remains in the 16th and final spot for the 10-race title run. It’s the 20th career victory and third this season for Blaney, who led a race-high 115 of 301 laps. He had cruised to a big lead when a lug nut fell off the left front tire of his No. 12 Ford during a pit stop under caution with 111 laps remaining. The 2023 Cup Series champion picked his way through traffic and was back up to seventh when the yellow flag flew on the 226th lap for a three-car crash. Crew chief Jonathan Hassler made an aggressive strategy call for two right-side tires, and Blaney gained six spots in the pits to retake first place. Hassler said the error “maybe was a little bit of a blessing in disguise” because Blaney emerged several spots ahead of the contenders who took four tires. Of

NEW YORK — The New York Yankees activated Cody Bellinger from the injured list Sunday after the outfielder missed 25 games with a strained left hamstring. Bellinger batted fourth and started in left field for his first game since July 25 in Philadelphia. Bellinger suffered a Grade 2 strain after running the bases following a double. Bellinger is hitting .259 with 11 homers and 53 RBIs in 102 games this season. He batted .228 in New York’s first month after losing Aaron Judge to a stress fracture in his right rib but was hitting .372 in 12 games before getting injured, though he entered Sunday with a 31-game homerless streak — the second-longest of his career. Bellinger re-signed with the Yankees last winter for $162.5 million over ﬁve years.

49ers star TE Kittle might return for season opener

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By STEVEN SENNE

Ryan Blaney, center front, displays a lobster, a victory lane tradition at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, after winning a NASCAR Cup Series race on Sunday in Loudon, N.H., as David McGrath, right, executive vice president and general manager of the speedway, looks on. the top 12 finishers, Blaney was the only driver who took two tires on his last stop. His crew struggled often on stops earlier this season, losing 128 spots in the pits, but has been better with three top-five finishes in the past six races. “It’s really competitive on pit road, and if you’re going to have any speed, you’re going to have these sort of miscues,” Hassler said. “With the speed we’ve had, our goal has certainly been to eliminate those, even if we give up a little bit of speed to do that. But it’s still going to happen to each of the best teams. We’re fortunate that we’re fast enough and up front enough that people take notice when that’s going to happen.” NASCAR started the race on wetweather tires after a midafternoon rain shower, but the track dried quickly, and drivers switched back to slick tires after 40 laps.

Hamlin top seed Points leader Denny Hamlin

also rebounded from a pit stop miscue that dropped the Joe Gibbs Racing driver outside the top 15 with less than 100 laps remaining. Hamlin rallied for a seventh-place ﬁnish that clinched the top seed for the Chase. “We were just pedestrian today,” Hamlin said. “We just didn’t quite have it, but ultimately a decent crawl back.”

it. I’m super grateful for all the pit crew members, especially my team. They do a real good job. I’m glad Blake is OK.”

Chastain eliminated

A last-place ﬁnish extinguished the dim Chase hopes for Ross Chastain, whose No. 1 Chevrolet suffered a mechanical problem after only 40 laps. “The speed has gotten better, Scary moment so we’ll hopefully keep moving Bell dropped to 31st on a safe- forward on that,” Chastain said. ty violation penalty after front “That’s the important part. With tire changer Blake Houston got the things in our control, we were dragged from the team’s pit stall able to make them better through while tightening the right-side the summer. I’ve learned that’s tire. Bell said he exited the pits really tough to do in the NASCAR as the jack dropped, and Houston Cup Series. We did get better, but wasn’t able to get back across the we’ve got a ways to go.” front of the No. 20 Toyota. “I saw him kind of flopping Up next around in my rearview camera,” The NASCAR Cup Series will Bell said. “I didn’t feel my car jump conclude its regular season at up in the air, so I knew I didn’t run Daytona International Speedway him over. It’s alarming and very with a 160-lap race on Saturday eye-opening that these guys jump- at the 2.5-mile oval, setting the ing across pit wall, they’re risking 16-driver ﬁeld for the Chase.

American Kirkwood ﬁttingly wins Freedom 250 BY NOAH TRISTER

he’s stopping.” After another caution, Kirkwood pulled off a strong restart with 13 laps to go, and Lundgaard didn’t mount much of a threat as the 250-mile race wound down. Nicknamed the “King of the Streets” because of his success on tracks like this, Kirkwood looked right at home on the 1.7-mile circuit that was being used this weekend for the ﬁrst time.

Associated Press

WASHINGTON — On the streets of downtown Washington, an American led almost the whole way. Kyle Kirkwood raced to his second victory of the IndyCar season Sunday, dominating the Freedom 250 in his No. 27 Honda. Kirkwood crossed the finish line in front of the U.S. Capitol 3.09 seconds ahead of Christian Lundgaard after leading for 128 of a possible 147 laps. “This likely is the most satisfying win that I’ve had, just the magnitude of it. This one and my first are pretty similar,” said Kirkwood, who now has seven career IndyCar victories. “When you think about the magnitude, what this means, having this race here in D.C., being the Freedom 250, as an American, it might top the first win for me.” The race was set up as part of the country’s 250th birthday celebration. President Donald Trump gave drivers the green flag at the start, and District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser served as grand marshal. Organizers could hardly have asked for better weather, with plenty of sun but not so much heat that fans would stay away. The area was awash in red, white and blue. Even the Canadian flags on that country’s embassy — located along the track’s Pennsylvania Avenue straightaway — featured two of those three colors. “This was not a race. It was an event,” race chair Bud Denker said. Will Power and Marcus Ericsson, Kirkwood’s teammates with

Yankees activate Bellinger after 25-game absence

Misplaced blame?

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ALEX BRANDON

Kyle Kirkwood makes a pit stop for gas during the IndyCar Freedom 250 Grand Prix on Sunday in Washington. Andretti Global, finished third and fourth. Pole winner Alex Palou, who had a chance to clinch the series title, finished 20th in his second-worst showing of the year. After several prerace flyovers and Trump’s green flag, the field quickly went under caution because of debris on the track. The first big wreck came when David Malukas went into the wall and Sting Ray Robb could do little to avoid crashing into him coming around a turn. Just like that, two of the race’s eight American drivers were out. Several cars went onto pit road, and that’s when the day started to fall apart for Palou. He appeared to hit a tire in someone else’s area while exiting, and he was assessed a drive-through penalty. On a subsequent pit stop, one of Palou’s tires was loose when

he started driving. That caused another delay, and he ended up off the lead lap. Palou later spun coming through a turn. His lead in the standings dropped from 133 points over second-place Kirkwood to 91 with three races to go. “Things happen. I’m at least kind of happy that everything happened at the same day instead of spreading out throughout different races,” Palou said. “We had some issues in pit lane — one my fault, one out of my control.” Kirkwood had a commanding lead before Palou’s spin caused a caution. On a restart with 19 laps remaining, Scott McLaughlin tried to pass Kirkwood and went into a tire barrier. “Quite honestly, I thought he was going to make it stick initially,” Kirkwood said. “Once he got alongside me, there’s no way

Marcus Armstrong was penalized for avoidable contact when he sent Christian Rasmussen into a spin. Rinus VeeKay went into the wall during that incident but appeared unaware of Armstrong’s culpability when he went on TV for an interview. “If Rasmussen’s around, you know you’re going to crash. Either he does or you do,” VeeKay said. “It sucks. It’s stupid. It’s a long race, and some people seemingly don’t know that.”

The race’s future Denker had plenty of impressive stats ready for his postrace news conference: over 215,000 people attending over the last two days, and over $969,000 in merchandise sold Saturday. As for whether the race will continue in the future, Denker said he’ll discuss it with series owner Roger Penske. “Mr. Trump hit me 15 times today about having to have this,” Denker said. “‘Let’s do it for ﬁve years’ is what he’s saying, ‘because that guarantees you’re going to be here through my term, then two more years for whoever is in ofﬁce next.’ ”

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — San Francisco 49ers star tight end George Kittle was taken off the physically unable to perform list on Sunday, providing hope that he might be able to return from a ruptured right Achilles tendon before the season opener. The 49ers got good news on the injury front 10 days before the team was set to depart for Australia for a Week 1 game against the Los Angeles Rams on Sept. 11 with Kittle and All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey back at practice. The Niners are scheduled to leave for Australia on Sept. 2, and Kittle said last week that he needed to get practice time in pads before then to determine whether he would make the trip and try to play Week 1.

Raiders RB Jeanty suffers apparent injury at practice

HENDERSON, Nev. — Las Vegas Raiders running back Ashton Jeanty had to be helped off the ﬁeld after apparently being injured late in Sunday’s practice and was unable to put pressure on his right leg. The Raiders did not provide a statement on Jeanty’s status and there was no indication of when an update would come. Jeanty went down after trying to catch a pass, and his teammates at the club’s indoor practice facility quickly went quiet. The entire team then knelt and prayed. Drafted sixth overall out of Boise State last year, Jeanty had hoped to build on a rookie season in which he rushed for 975 yards despite playing behind what was statistically the NFL’s worst offensive line.

All-America RB Hardy out for Mizzou season opener

COLUMBIA, Mo. — Ahmad Hardy, an Associated Press All-America running back, will miss Missouri’s season-opening game as he recovers from being shot in the leg three months ago. “Hopefully, he can keep working and try to get back as soon as possible,” coach Eli Drinkwitz said Saturday. “Really don’t have a timetable on that. It’s up to his body and his response.” The 25th-ranked Tigers will start the season at home on Sept. 3 against Arkansas-Pine Bluff without Hardy on the ﬁeld. Hardy was shot in his home state while attending a concert in Laurel, Mississippi, on May 10.

Gauff beats Pegula for 2nd Cincinnati Open title

MASON, Ohio — Coco Gauff defeated fellow American Jessica Pegula 6-2, 6-4 to capture her second women’s Cincinnati Open title on Sunday, and Arthur Fils of France defeated American Frances Tiafoe 6-3, 1-6, 6-0 in the men’s final for his first Masters 1000 title. In the semifinals, Pegula beat reigning champion Iga Swiatek, and Gauff defeated Sara Bejlek to set up the first all-American women’s final at the Cincinnati Open in 56 years. The last time was in 1970 when Rosie Casals beat Nancy Richey. In the Fils-Tiafoe match, it was the first time two Black players have met in an ATP Masters 1000 final. Fils became the third Black man to win a Masters 1000 title. It was the second time Tiafoe has appeared in the Cincinnati Open final, losing to Jannik Sinner in 2024.

The Times-Picayune ✦ nola.com ✦ Monday,August 24, 2026 ✦ 3C

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Clark ﬁnds footing after stumble, wins BMW BY DOUG FERGUSON AP golf writer

ST. LOUIS — Wyndham Clark has been through this before — losing a big lead in the final round, playing alongside a gallery favorite. He finished strong Sunday at the BMW Championship, just like he did at the U.S. Open, and closed with an even-par 70 for a three-shot victory at Bellerive. Clark won for the third time this year, putting him squarely in the conversation for PGA Tour player of the year considering one was a major and the other was a FedEx Cup playoff event. But just like at Shinnecock Hills, it wasn’t easy. He lost his five-shot lead to Rory McIlroy in 11 holes and it was tense down the final hour until Clark — without a birdie all day — holed a birdie putt from just outside 15 feet on the par-3 16th. McIlroy had a putt to match birdies and stay tied but missed. McIlroy made a mess of the par-5 17th, going from rough to bunker to bunker for a bogey, and Clark began to pull away with another birdie. He finished with a third straight birdie for style points, finishing at 17-under 263.

“It shows I’m one of the best players in the world,” Clark said. “Everyone gives me a hard time and roots for other people. Three wins in one season is my best year yet, coming off my worst season.” Clark wasn’t the only one with cause to celebrate. Patrick Cantlay, who came in at No. 43 in the FedEx Cup, showed plenty of moxie. Four times he bounced back from a bogey with a birdie, closing with three birdies in a row for a 68 to ﬁnish runner-up and be among the top 30 in the FedEx Cup who advance to the Tour Championship. The winner next week at East Lake captures the FedEx Cup. “I’m coming to a golf course that I played really well at next week,” said Cantlay, who won at East Lake in 2021 to claim the FedEx Cup. “So I’m really pleased with where my game is at, and I think I’m trending in the right direction.” Also moving into the top 30 was Gary Woodland, who pulled within one shot of the lead until topping his tee shot into a creek on the ninth hole on his way to a double bogey. He closed with nine straight pars and fought back tears as he returns to the Tour Championship for the ﬁrst time since 2019 while recover-

ing from brain surgery three years ago. He said Saturday, when he was in the final group, took a lot out of him with the noise, the energy and the drones that triggered the kind of brain activity he tries to calm. On Sunday, he tried to embrace it and pulled through with a 69 to tie for fourth. “I tried to enjoy it,” he said. “Outside of topping a ball — I haven’t done that for a long time — I’m just really proud.” McIlroy didn’t make a birdie over the last seven holes after tying for the lead, closed with a 69 and finished alone in third. Robert MacIntyre closed with a 65 and tied for seventh, enough to move him into the top 30 for a return to East Lake. Those falling out of the top 30 were Rickie Fowler, Bud Cauley and Kurt Kitayama. British Open champion Ryan Fox nailed down the final spot. Clark also moved into the top six automatic spots who qualified for the Presidents Cup, joining Scheffler, Cameron Young, Russell Henley, Sam Burns and Collin Morikawa. U.S. captain Brandt Snedeker will have six picks after the Tour Championship. Cantlay surely got his attention.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By JEFF ROBERSON

Wyndham Clark celebrates on the 18th green in the final round of the BMW Championship on Sunday in St. Louis.

SAINTS

AP PHOTO By MONTANA PRITCHARD

Jon Rahm hits from the ninth tee during the final round of LIV Golf Indianapolis on Sunday in Westfield, Ind.

LIV players face uncertain future as season wraps BY MICHAEL MAROT

AP sportswriter

WESTFIELD, Ind. — Jon Rahm finished the LIV Golf season Sunday in style, claiming his third straight season points title and his second team crown in a row at the revised season finale in suburban Indianapolis. Now the 31-year-old Spaniard and the other full-time tour players will wait to see what happens to LIV in 2027. Rahm is ready to head home and contemplate the future. “I’m looking forward to going home and helping my very pregnant wife with the kids,” Rahm said. “The fourth one is due in October, and I’m happy to be dad for a few days before I get back to grinding for the Irish Open.” Rahm closed with a 7-under 63 for his second straight runner-up finish in Indy. He ended up a stroke behind 22-year-old Michael La Sasso, the 2025 NCAA individual champ at Mississippi. La Sasso finished with a 65 to get to 18 under. Clearly, there have been troubling signs for the LIV circuit in recent months. In April, it was announced Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund would end its investment in the league after this season. LIV spent more than $5 billion in five years, pulling some of the world’s best and most popular American and international players away from other leagues. Organizers also canceled two events this season — New Orleans in June and next weekend’s originally scheduled season-ending event in Michigan — as well the

ANDERSON

Continued from page 1C walk-off fashion. Growing up in Slidell, the ace of the 2025 LSU national championship team didn’t go to many major league games. But Anderson used to hound LSU baseball players for autographs as a kid, so he was more than willing to lend a few minutes of his time. “That’s what it’s all about at the end of the day, to go out there and pitch for the fans,” Anderson said. “... You just got to give back to those kids.” Anderson, the third pick in the 2025 draft, became the ﬁrst player from his draft class to make his

weekend entertainment. LIV CEO Scott O’Neil told reporters Wednesday he was bullish about plans for 2027 and beyond, saying players would be equity owners and have their commercial rights restored. O’Neil said the plan was to have five team championships overseas and five individual tournaments in the United States scheduled close to the majors for those who qualify for them. He did not name the lead investor with whom LIV has reached an agreement. Several outlets have identified him as Ted Goldthorpe of BC Partners, who met with the tour’s players on Tuesday. O’Neil said there was a deadline for players to commit to LIV 2.0 without citing a specific date. He also has not mentioned the size of the proposed investment. Though O’Neil said he has a “good level of confidence” that a “critical mass of the right players” will return, Rahm is under contract through next season. Bryson DeChambeau — the other big name — has an expiring contract this year. He tied for third with Sergio Garcia on Sunday and did not speak with reporters following Sunday’s event. But with the season now over, there are only more questions. “There’s been a lot that’s surrounded all of us pretty much since we joined, and at the end of the day when you step on the golf course, it’s just golf,” Rahm said after bogeying his last hole to open the door for La Sasso. “So all the problems and theories go away, and you compete. It hasn’t been any harder or any easier in any way. It’s just, kind of I think, the life of a pro athlete.”

major league debut. He looked the part of one of the top pitching prospects in baseball for most of the evening. Anderson yielded three earned runs in 52/3 innings, two on backto-back solo homers in the sixth, which caused the end to his night after 81 pitches. The southpaw departed to a standing ovation from the 45,681 on hand, a ﬁgure which included roughly 20 family members and friends. It could have been worse for Anderson, if not for left ﬁelder Randy Arozarena robbing Miguel Amaya of a solo shot in the third. “I thought it was way gone,” Anderson said of Arozarena’s heroics. “I’m honestly grateful that ball stayed in the park.” Pete Crow-Armstrong, who led

solidify his case. Likewise, Truss has been used Continued from page 1C at tackle and guard. He makes it over Easton Kilty and undrafted rookie Alan Herron, each of whom in camp because of a bad back. should fit nicely on the practice Chandler had a very costly fumble squad. This could also be a position the in the red zone on Saturday. Relying on Miller comes with a Saints seek to improve after cuts. risk. But it could be easier to stash Remember last year when the Chandler on the practice squad, Saints made two trades — one for whereas cutting Miller may lead center Luke Fortner and another the running back to seek a fresh for Richards — and claimed Truss start elsewhere given all the ob- off waivers from the Broncos. stacles he’s faced in New Orleans. As for Neal, the second-year Edge (5) back suffered another hamstring Chase Young, Carl Granderson, Cam Jorinjury Saturday. While Moore did dan, Tyree Wilson, Anfernee Jennings: The not have an update on the sever- Saints have been coy about how ity, an injured reserve stint would much time Jordan might miss for make sense given the frequency. his hamstring injury. But knowThe running back had just re- ing the pass rusher’s relentless turned to practice last week be- history of doing everything he cause of the ailment, which also can to play, he could avoid injured cut his rookie season short when reserve to start the season — even he got injured in Week 15. If the if he has to miss a few weeks. Saints place him on the list before But it sure seems like Wilson cutdown day, his season would be and Jennings are going to make over. the roster regardless of Jordan’s status. It was a good sign for JenWide receiver (5) nings that the Saints felt no need Chris Olave, Devaughn Vele, Bryce Lance, to play the veteran this past weekBarion Brown, Kevin Austin: Tyson is ex- end. pected to miss two months, which would put him on track to be back Defensive tackle (5) in mid-October. That makes inDavon Godchaux, Vernon Broughton, Najured reserve the logical move. than Shepherd, Christen Miller, Khristian Otherwise, this group seems Boyd: The logjam that the Saints pretty clear-cut. Bub Means was entered training camp with has the Saints’ leading receiver in sorted itself out. Bryan Bresee New Orleans’ preseason opener, was lost for the season due to a but he didn’t carry the momen- torn ACL. Broughton has seized tum into the next game and hurt the starting job in his absence. his hamstring against the Rams. Shepherd and Godchaux no longer That makes room for Austin, who look like they could be surprise might have been a lock anyway. cap casualties. The biggest remaining mysTight ends (3) tery has to do with reserve John Juwan Johnson, Noah Fant, Oscar Delp: Ridgeway, who was spotted with Here’s another position in flux be- a medical boot around his foot cause of injuries. Moliki Matavao after getting hurt in Thursday’s hurt his knee in Saturday’s game joint practice against the Rams. and the severity is unknown. But If Ridgeway has to miss extended if he has to miss extended time, time, Boyd stands to benefit. If that could cost him his chance Ridgeway is healthy, swap the of making the roster — which is two. unfortunate for the second-year tight end, given he had noticeably Linebacker (5) improved from his rookie season. Kaden Elliss, Pete Werner, Danny StutIf healthy, he looked worthy of a sman, Jaylan Ford, Isaiah Stalbird: Despot. spite adding Deion Jones in training camp, this five could be pretty Offensive line (9) set. There was a question about Kelvin Banks, David Edwards, Erik McCoy, whether Chris Rumph, converted Cesar Ruiz, Taliese Fuaga, Asim Richards, from edge rusher, could earn a Jeremiah Wright,Will Sherman, Xavier Truss: spot over Ford or Stalbird, but the It felt telling that Sherman started veteran hasn’t practiced in nearly Saturday’s contest over Toricelli three weeks because of an ankle Simpkins, who hasn’t had the same injury. That’s too much ground to kind of feel-good camp as last year make up, even if Rumph returns to when the offensive lineman made practice soon. the roster as an undrafted free agent. The Saints value versatility Cornerback (5) upfront, and Sherman’s ability to Kool-Aid McKinstry, Quincy Riley, Martin play all three interior spots helps Emerson,IsaacYiadom,Jayden Price: ESPN

off the sixth with a double, came inches away from starting that frame with a solo home run, too. On the whole, Anderson coasted his first two times through the Chicago lineup. He struck out ﬁve Cubs hitters, three of them with a slider that generated six whiffs in the game. Manager Dan Wilson elected to send Anderson back out for the sixth because he thought the young lefty was throwing the ball “extremely well,” and he was pleased with how he handled adversity. “The way he used all of his stuff, you saw everything today,” Wilson said. “He wasn’t afraid to throw anything in any count, and I just thought for a ﬁrst time out there, he looked very, very comfortable, and that’s a great sign.”

Anderson pitched in plenty of high-leverage games while starring for LSU, too. At the professional level, though, he faced little resistance from opposing hitters before Saturday night. In 18 starts for Double-A Arkansas this year, Anderson went 10-1 with a 1.06 ERA while striking out 135 batters and walking 13 in 931/3 innings. Anderson’s arrival in Seattle coincided with the club being in need of reinforcements. After Saturday’s win, the Mariners (6268) moved three games behind Houston in the AL West and two games back in the race for the ﬁnal wild-card spot. Going into his outing, Anderson fully understood the magnitude of his debut, not just on a personal

recently ranked the Saints as having the 11th best cornerback room in the NFL. Has it seen the depth? The Rams’ relentless targeting of Emerson in Saturday’s exhibition raises fresh concerns about how New Orleans will get by without Riley, whose groin injury could linger into the regular season. Price is rewarded with a spot after a standout camp. Lorenzo Styles is a wild card. What’s the status of the calf injury he suffered Saturday? The ﬁfth-round rookie could very well stand to beneﬁt from a redshirt year, but it’s unclear if he’ll land on injured reserve. If he does, either Styles, Ridgeway or Matavao makes sense for the second IR designation. In a blind guess, let’s predict it’s Ridgeway.

Safety (5) Justin Reid, Jonas Sanker, Julian Blackmon, Jordan Howden, Terrell Burgess: Sanker, after moving to inside at nickel, hasn’t played much safety in training camp. With him acting as a corner, that could open the door for someone like Burgess — a special teams contributor and a reliable backup who is well liked in the locker room. Blackmon’s injury history could also warrant keeping five safeties. Keeping 11 defensive backs feels like one too many on paper, but it’s worth remembering the Saints did that initially when setting last year’s 53-man roster. The Saints changed this soon after when they surprisingly cut J.T. Gray.

Specialists (3) Kicker not on roster, Ryan Wright, Zach Wood: Yes, not picking between Tanner Brown and Charlie Smyth is a bit of a cop out. But how can the Saints feel good about heading into the season with either one of these kickers? Brown missed a 39-yard ﬁeld goal against the Rams, coughing up whatever lead he had built on Smyth over the last few weeks. And Smyth, as intriguing as his leg strength is and as charming as his story is, hasn’t been consistent enough to win this competition. The Saints might be better off monitoring the market, as bleak as it is. And here’s one for the true sickos, a 16-man practice squad projection: QB Hunter Dekkers, G Easton Kilty, T Alan Herron, C Torricelli Simpkins, RB Ty Chandler, RB C.J. Donaldson, TE Treyton Welch, S Elliott Davison, CB T.J. Hall, DT Myles Cole, DE Fadil Diggs, DE Michael Heldman, LB Deion Jones, WR Bub Means, WR Ronnie Bell, WR Jalen Cropper

level but also within the context of what it meant for the reigning AL West champions. “The team was counting on me for a big game today,” Anderson said. “These games matter, especially when the season is getting shorter and shorter. These games matter. I understood that going in. Obviously, it’s a big day for me, but it’s an even bigger day for this org.” That didn’t stop Anderson, though, from taking a second to look around T-Mobile Park and take it all in before he became the center of attention. “I’ve only been to Seattle a couple times, but this place is really cool,” Anderson said. “The weather here is really nice, so that’s a plus. It’s a really special city. I really like it so far.”

4C ✦ Monday, August 24, 2026 ✦ nola.com ✦ The Times-Picayune

Bison not satisfied lll

North Dakota St. to test FCS dominance as newest FBS member BY DAVE CAMPBELL

when players began to get their hands on the latest edition of the popular EA Sports video game, College Football, which for the ﬁrst time includes North Dakota State. Now they can relax at home after practice and pick the Bison to control instead of Alabama or Ohio State. “To play as yourself in a game, that’s something every little kid wants to do when they grow up,” Woolen said.

AP sportswriter

FARGO, N.D. — North Dakota State’s road to the highest level of college football was paved by an unprecedented run of success, with 10 national championships serving as sparkling souvenirs from a twodecade stay in the Football Championship Subdivision. That exit sign for the Football Bowl Subdivision came into view through a rare and bitter taste of failure. The Bison rumbled last year into the FCS playoffs with the top seed, a first-round bye and an unbeaten record. Then came Dec. 6 and the fateful game against Illinois State. The Redbirds, a conference rival, rallied three times from twotouchdown deficits for a one-point victory at the Fargodome. The 19,000-seat stadium was about half full for the thriller. “That was the point in time for me when I said, ‘We’ve got to get this done,’ ” athletic director Matt Larsen said. “We were really close already. I remember thinking to myself, ‘If we don’t make this move, this might be the norm.’ I think our fan base is as passionate as they’ve always been, but they wanted a new challenge. This provides that new energy and new competition.” The latest era for this powerhouse on the prairie starts Saturday when North Dakota State hosts Jacksonville State in its first game as an FBS program. The Bison then make their Mountain West debut on Sept. 12 at Air Force, marking yet another turn on the sport’s carousel of conference realignment. Sacramento State is also moving up to the FBS this season. “I always knew it could happen, but I never was really thinking about it,” linebacker Donovan Woolen said. “To play better games against better competition is going to be a lot more fun. To be able to test our abilities and see our fullest potential of what we can do as players and as a team, I think we’re ready for it.”

Bison’s dominance After winning three national championships (1965, 1968, 1969) in what was then the NCAA’s College Division, the Bison won ﬁve more Division II titles (1983, 1985, 1986, 1988 and 1990) after the original lower tier was divided into two. The first big move came in 2004 to the FCS, where attentiongrabbing wins over Big Ten and Big 12 opponents laid the groundwork for those record 10 champi-

Changing rivals

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By DAVE CAMPBELL

North Dakota State wide receiver Jackson Williams runs a route during practice in Fargo, N.D., on Aug. 17 at the Fargodome in Fargo, N.D. onships over a stunning 14-year span that included four different head coaches. The Bison went 9-5 against FBS foes (with four of those losses coming by a combined 12 points) and counted Iowa, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State and Minnesota — twice — as victims of their stampede. The program’s all-time record in playoff games is 86-20, including 51-7 in the FCS tournament. “There’s been murmurs and all that for probably five years now, but to finally make that jump, it’s pretty cool to see and I’m excited for the guys back at Fargo,” said Seattle Seahawks left guard Grey Zabel, who was a first-round draft pick out of North Dakota State in 2025 and promptly got a Super Bowl ring out of his rookie season. “They’ve got the support staff. They’ve got the coaching staff. They’ve got the community, the fans, the players, the talent. It’s just a matter of putting in the hard work and having the right attitude, effort and mentality.”

LSU

played second fiddle to freshmen? And could the Tigers bring back Jack Pyburn? The LSU product has Continued from page 1C yet to be cut by the Bucs but he’s a plus run defender as a defensive There is wiggle room with schol- end. Whether it’s healthy for college arship numbers nowadays depending on how many former walk-ons, sports to bring NFL cuts back to who don’t need to count toward the campus, and whether it’s truly 105-man roster, are on the books. worthwhile to add players this late, Even so, it’s unlikely LSU has room is worth discussion. Kiffin seems for more than a couple of touch- intent on exploring every avenue to strengthen his roster — all the ups. Tuihalamaka, who started three way up to the final bell. games at Notre Dame last season, adds to a defensive end rotation Is Leavitt synced with WRs? that’s spearheaded by Ole Miss Set aside whether quarterback transfer Princewill Umanmielen Sam Leavitt could develop a chembut was relying heavily on the istry with Wright if he landed in untapped potential of Tennessee Baton Rouge days before an opentransfer Jordan Ross and five- er. How connected has Leavitt star freshman Lamar Brown. become with the receivers he curWright would help round rently has in camp? out a tight end room that stars There have been ample cut-back Trey’Dez Green, essentially a scrambles to suggest Leavitt’s sur6-foot-7, 237-pound receiver, but gically repaired foot is fine, and doesn’t have much experience he’s looked good throwing on air otherwise. while media members have been Could LSU also add 6-8, in attendance. But all 11-on-11 pe330-pound defensive tackle Zxa- riods, including two scrimmages, vian Harris, an All-SEC perform- were closed to the public. er at Ole Miss? The emergence Where exactly Leavitt stands in of Deuce Geralds and Richard grasping LSU’s uptempo offense Anderson has created buzz, but is is a mystery. There have been it a tad concerning that veterans positive assessments from Kiffin, Dominick McKinley, Stephiylan who said Leavitt tried too hard to Green and Malik Blocton have impress teammates in the spring

ORGERON

“Obviously, his bread and butter is the defensive line. Just giving Continued from page 1C (us) a different set of eyes,” said defensive coordinator Blake Baker, who worked under OrgFreshmen Lamar Brown, Richard eron for a season at LSU as his Anderson and Deuce Geralds all linebackers coach. “But I think have a chance to earn signiﬁcant all those guys work really well together: (Interior defensive snaps out of the gates. Orgeron also has been an asset line coach) Kevin Peoples and for a defensive line coaching room (defensive line coach) Sterling that is mostly ﬁlled with new faces. Lucas and (assistant defensive

More than titles Playing in the biggest city in a state without a pro team, the Bison have naturally become a regional draw boasting a proud network of supporters. Tom Blattner, a 1996 alumnus, gave in 2021 with his wife through their foundation a $15 million gift toward the $54 million indoor facility that also allows the soccer, baseball, softball and golf teams to practice in the dead of winter. Fargo is a growing city of more than 125,000 people with a metropolitan area — including Moorhead, Minnesota — that’s about double that, but a midsize market has its ﬁnancial limits. The university enrolled close to 12,000 students last fall, including about 9,700 undergraduates, more than only Wyoming and Air Force in the Mountain West. NDSU’s $5 million reclassiﬁcation fee to the NCAA and $12.5 million entry fee to the Mountain West were privately funded, so some donors will undoubtedly be

tapped out for a while. The football program added 22 scholarships in the move to the FBS, and the increased travel and other competitive upgrades have roughly doubled the operating budget, Larsen said, from 2025 expenses of about $8 million. As long as the College Football Playoff includes a spot for the Group of Six conferences that comprise the underbelly of the Power Four-driven FBS, the Bison will have a big prize to pursue even if their days of winning national championships are all but done. “To be able to compete year in and year out for a conference championship, to me that’s a signiﬁer that we’ve built a competitive program. If you’re doing well in the Mountain West, that means you’re doing well across the Group of Six as well,” Larsen said. “We don’t want to just go. We want to go compete right away.” The buzz around the football facilities has been palpable this summer, perhaps no stronger than

North Dakota State was joined on its jump to the FCS by South Dakota State, which beat the Bison in the 2022 national championship game and won it all again in 2023. North Dakota and South Dakota eventually moved up from Division II as well. The Bison are open to playing regional schools in the future, Larsen said, but that can’t be an annual event with a nonconference schedule that has room for only one FCS game. North Dakota State fans seeking matchups with the neighbors to the north and south will probably have to settle for other sports. Northern Illinois, another one of the three newcomers to Mountain West football this season, could become a rival as the only other Central Time Zone team in the league from a part of the country the Bison try to recruit hard. Wyoming, where current head coach Tim Polasek was recently the offensive coordinator under Craig Bohl, a former North Dakota State head coach, is another candidate to stoke the competitive ﬁre. For now, Bison fans have some fun road trips to look forward to, with two games in Northern California, one in Las Vegas and one in Honolulu. “There’s a lot of excitement around the community, for sure,” wide receiver and kick returner Jackson Williams said. Winning never gets old to coaches or players, but all those blowouts of teams in the bottom half of the top-heavy Missouri Valley Football Conference weren’t doing much for the fan base. Plus, taking home that many trophies in such a short amount of time can create an anticlimactic feeling. “I think it’s bittersweet, to sum it up, but I do think with where college football is headed there was no other decision to be made,” Polasek said. “We’re excited to be moving up, and the time was right. It’s just an opportunity we couldn’t pass up.”

appears mostly set, including an offensive line that’s still Jordan Seaton, Bo Bordelon, Braelin Moore, Aliou Bah and Weston Davis from left to right. But Kifﬁn admitted “concern” last week about the line’s depth. Transfers Devin Harper (Ole Miss), Sean Thompkins (Baylor) and William Satterwhite (Tennessee) project as LSU’s top reserves, but they couldn’t overtake Davis, an inconsistent performer as a redshirt freshman, and Bordelon, who played 23 offensive snaps as a redshirt junior. The latter pair may have made a considerable jump, but it’s also possible they are just the best LSU could muster and its January portal adds haven’t hit. Similar concerns remain at corSTAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON nerback behind DJ Pickett and PJ LSU offensive tackle Jordan Seaton, right, blocks LSU offensive lineman Woodland, where Ja’Keem Jackson and Michael Turner remain Ja’Mard Jones during a drill at a preseason practice on Friday. unproven. If LSU stays healthy, there’s but has made sounder decisions in seems content to let the cream rise enough there to live up to expectato the top in game action. But it ap- tions. An injury at the wrong posiAugust. LSU stands to benefit from pears that Jackson Harris, Jayce tion, and the Tigers could falter. Only real game weeks — not the Leavitt’s fearlessness in attack- Brown, Winston Watkins and Euing deep, but Kifﬁn also needs him gene Wilson are the top four head- “mock” one underway — will tell the tale. to make quick decisions and pick ing into the opener. apart defenses to make the most of Is the team deep enough? this scheme. Email Jon Blau at jon.blau@ As far as the receiver room, LSU The starting 11 on both sides theadvocate.com

line/pass rush specialist coach) Lou Spanos and (defensive line assistant) De’Andre Williams. “We have a really, really good group of defensive line coaches. And he’s done a good job kind of feeling his way in there.” Orgeron’s impact has been felt beyond the defensive line. Baker said his ability to see things from a “big picture point of view” has helped, and his rambunctious

nature has even been felt on the opposite side of the line of scrimmage. “Coach O is probably the loudest coach I’ve ever heard,” Colorado transfer left tackle Jordan Seaton said. “But he’s also the funnest, and he means business. He means well.” Orgeron’s return isn’t just a feel-good story. It’s not meant to be a swan song for the 65-year-old

coach, either. He’s back in Baton Rouge with the same ﬁre and energy that helped deliver a national championship just seven years ago. “I like that he just doesn’t take — excuse my French — but he doesn’t take BS,” Seaton said. “And I think we need that from all our coaches, and he’s a big part of that. He’d been in this program before, so he knows what it looks like to win.”

The Times-Picayune ✦ nola.com ✦ Monday, August 24, 2026 ✦ 5C

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Expect hard hits from area’s standout LBs BY SPENCER URQUHART

Staff writer

The linebacker position features some of the most physical players on the ﬁeld at all levels of the game. The best defenses in high school football usually have a strong linebacker room, and there are several talented players returning at the position throughout the New Orleans metro area. Listed below are 10 area linebackers to watch this season.

was named as a defensive captain for the Owls ahead of the 2026 season.

Ethan Lentz Shaw (Sr.) Lentz started for the Shaw teams that reached the Division II select state championship game in backto-back years. The 6-1, 205-pound Lentz ﬁnished last season with 111 tackles, 24 tackles for loss, four sacks and six interceptions.

Creed Marix

St. Charles (Sr.) Marix was a tackling machine for St. Charles, which won the DiSt. Augustine (Sr.) Dillon is a three-year starter vision II select state title thanks in St. Aug’s linebacker room as a to its strong defense. The hard5-foot-10, 185-pound inside pres- hitting Marix is 5-11, 210 pounds ence. He’s set to have a larger role and has worked to become a more this season for the Purple Knights, vocal leader after recording 135 1/2 who are having to replace a lead- tackles as a junior. ing linebacker from last year in Chad Jones, who is now at South- Brady McCluskey ern. Brother Martin (Sr.) McCluskey is known as a standDerrick Dunbar out baseball player but has also made a name for himself on the Covington (Sr.) Dunbar will anchor Covington’s football field. At 5-10, 185 pounds, linebacker room alongside senior he led Brother Martin with 106 Steele Rogers after an outstanding tackles last season and was a firstjunior season. Standing at 6-2, 200 team all-district selection despite pounds, Dunbar was a first-team missing four games. all-district selection who racked up 109 tackles, nine tackles for loss Gabe Savarese and four sacks. St. Martin’s (Sr.) Savarese is a hard-hitting, 5-11, Cameron Florent 205-pound middle linebacker who finished with 131 tackles last seaDestrehan (Sr.) Florent returns as a leader at out- son. Described as an “old-school side linebacker and was selected downhill linebacker” by his father, as the all-district defensive MVP Dave Savarese, Gabe models his last season. The 6-1, 215-pound Flo- game after former LSU linebacker rent was a pass-rushing force and Devin White. caught a late interception to seal last year’s win over district rival Carter Sternberger Hahnville. Haynes (Sr.) Sternberger has become one of David Gonzalez the top linebackers in New Orleans, recording 121 tackles and Chalmette (Sr.) Gonzalez is coming off a break- five sacks in 2025 and was a Timesout junior season in which he fin- Picayune All-Metro selection. He ished as Chalmette’s leading tack- heads into his senior year at 5-10, ler at just 5-8, 180 pounds. He re- 190 pounds and has begun receivcorded 79 tackles last season and ing recruiting attention.

Jai Dillon

STAFF FILE PHOTO By BRETT DUKE

St. Augustine linebacker Jai Dillon, right, takes down Edna Karr’s Jermound Macklin during the Division I select state championship game on Dec. 13 at the Caesars Superdome.

A.J. Yunusah Newman (Jr.) Yunusah enters his junior season as the leader of Newman’s linebackers after an outstanding showing as a sophomore. The 6-1, 205-pound all-around linebacker’s ﬁnal stat line included 89 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, 5 1/2 sacks and three interceptions.

Others to watch Antonio Barthelemy, Patrick Taylor (Sr.); James Curley, Warren Easton (Sr.); Ian Gray, Edna Karr (Sr.); T’khi Johnson, Willow (Sr.); Cruz LeBlanc, Belle Chasse (Jr.); Steele Rogers, Covington (Sr.); Jack Roniger, Pope John Paul II (Sr.); Tahj Turner, Shaw (Sr.); Brody Vicknair, Riverside (Sr.); Jonah Weir, Holy Cross (Sr.)

FILE PHOTO By BOBBy GILBOy

Covington linebacker Derrick Dunbar, right, is back after leading the team with 109 tackles in 2025.

Clark brings steady outside shot, handle to LSU BY TOYLOY BROWN III

possessions, post a turnover percentage under 12% and record a 2:1 assist-to-turnover ratio. While he rarely scored at the rim, he did make 32 of 45 attempts (71%) when attacking the basket.

Staff writer

Before coach Will Wade returned to LSU, he endured a turbulent one-year stint at North Carolina State. Although Wade was unhappy with the Wolfpack’s First Four exit in the NCAA Tournament, the Analysis team excelled in two areas: 3-point shooting and ball security. They ranked eighth nationally in 3-point field goal percentage (38.8%) and 12th in fewest turnovers per game (9.2). To help anchor his first season back at LSU, Wade added Skyy Clark, a fifth-year UCLA transfer who thrives in both categories. The 6-foot-3, 210-pound combo guard averaged 11.5 points, 2.3 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.0 turnover in 26 games last season. He shot 46.9% from the field, 42.8% from 3-point range on 4.8 attempts per game and 82.1% at the free-throw line. Clark is currently eligible for next season. He’s among a group of more than 70 players granted a temporary restraining order in an age-based eligibility lawsuit filed in California against the NCAA. The ruling allows Clark to play a fifth season in 2026-27 and is unaffected by the NCAA’s request to stay the class-wide preliminary injunction in Colorado.

Engaged defender

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By CRAIG PESSMAN

UCLA’s Skyy Clark defends as Illinois’ Kasparas Jakucionis looks to pass during a game on Feb. 11, 2025, in Champaign, Ill.

Efficient scorer

Clark entered college as one of the top point guards in the 2022 class, ranking No. 6 at the position in the 247Sports Composite. After his sophomore season, he evolved into a secondary playmaker and off-ball scorer. UCLA’s offense ran through point guard Donovan Dent, who committed to LSU on Friday, and used Clark as its premier perimeter threat. Clark was asked to have a quick trigger, shooting more than half of his shots from 3. Coach Mick Cronin designed actions that freed Clark with vari-

ous off-ball screens. He embraced being a high-volume shooter, taking contested attempts and shots from NBA range. His versatility extends beyond spot-ups. He can pump fake, then take one or two dribbles to create space behind the arc and make 3s. He rarely turns the ball over and can deliver the occasional dime. He understands when to attack to create drive-and-kick opportunities and when to make simple swing passes to open shooters. Clark was one of 15 players last season to shoot at least 40% from 3, attempt 10 or more 3s per 100

Cronin sometimes tasked Clark with guarding top perimeter players. He defended Purdue’s Braden Smith, a second-team All-American, and Nebraska’s 6-7 wing Pryce Sandfort, an All-Big Ten ﬁrst-team selection, last season. What Clark lacks in length, he compensates for with strength and attentiveness. His stocky frame makes it tough for taller guards and wings to overpower him. He competes through screens and gives consistent effort. He doesn’t have standout lateral quickness or quick-twitch athleticism to guard the craftiest ballhandlers. Taller wing shooters can give him issues as they rise above his contest. Wade will likely value Clark’s team-defense instincts more. He’s active in driving gaps, rotates to the paint after breakdowns and recovers to shooters. He also communicates well and anticipates actions. His best trait on defense is his engagement level. Clark’s awareness leads to disruption. By positioning himself correctly, staying alert and reading opposing offenses, he can jump passing lanes.

Only five players nationwide posted a steal rate of at least 2.5%, shot 40% from 3 and had a turnover percentage under 12%. Clark joined that list with a pair of NBA draft picks: Arkansas’ Meleek Thomas and Santa Clara’s Allen Graves. Clark isn’t an elite off-ball defender because he lacks the physical tools to switch onto bigs and snag more steals. He can also be over-aggressive, occasionally giving too much cushion and becoming vulnerable to backdoor cuts. His rebounding is another weakness. Despite his strength to box out, he didn’t grab many rebounds.

Final verdict Wade will deploy Clark as an off-ball scorer from deep, just as UCLA did. With Dent now at LSU, it’s easy to envision them forming a starting backcourt again, this time in purple and gold. Clark is most comfortable as a third or fourth scoring option, which is what the Tigers want as they try to get former St. John’s star wing RJ Luis eligible with a preliminary injunction. If the former undrafted NBA player and two-way contract signee is unavailable, Clark is skilled enough to absorb more offensive responsibility. His outside scoring, low-mistake tendencies and defensive intelligence make him that can help any lineup.

Browns coach says Watson’s comments won’t affect QB decision BY JOE REEDY

Associated Press CLEVELAND — Todd Monken will take at least one more day before deciding if Shedeur Sanders or Deshaun Watson will be the Cleveland Browns’ starting quarterback on Sept. 13 in Jacksonville. The ﬁrst-year head coach said he anticipates announcing the starter on Monday. Monken also noted that Watson’s comments after the Browns’ 31-7 loss to the Buffalo Bills on Saturday are not expected to play a deciding factor in his ﬁnal decision. “I think Deshaun spoke from the heart. We all want to play well as a team and individually. There was no question we were all frustrated,” Monken said on Sunday. “What I am concerned about is us playing well as a team and offense. When you play well, none of the

other stuff matters.” Watson played his first game at Cleveland since Week 7 of the 2024 season when he ruptured his Achilles tendon for the first time late in the second quarter of a game against Cincinnati. He was booed repeatedly during his Watson four second-half series among the smattering of fans left after the game was delayed nearly an hour because of weather and Sanders played the ﬁrst half. Sanders “It has nothing to do about the performance,” Watson said of the boos after the game. “It’s a little bit personal. I think that’s a

disrespectful thing. I’m going to keep whatever I feel with me and my family internally on how I feel about that. Just move on. “I thought being away for two years and working myself back from two Achilles injuries and putting the time in, being around the facility, being around the city, doing charity work in the city, supporting the Cleveland Browns, hanging out with fans whenever I do see them, being honest, being the type of person I know I am, and the character would help, and I guess it hasn’t.” Watson was just 5 of 12 for 36 yards and threw an interception while on the ﬁeld with players at the bottom of the roster who likely will be cut in a couple of weeks. He completed 11 of 15 for 126 yards and directed two scoring drives working with other starters and the second team during the

first half of the preseason opener at Chicago. Cleveland’s two preseason games — both losses — have followed the same scripts of solid first-half play followed by struggles in the second half. Sanders, who went 9 of 11 for 74 yards with a touchdown and interception during the first half against the Bills, was 6 of 11 for 79 yards with an interception in the second half against the Bears. “It’s been the tale of two weeks. It’s been the same each week,” Monken said. “It just feels like we’ve played better in the first half, and then right before halftime and in the second half, collectively along with coaching, we haven’t done as well.” Sanders completed his first eight passes against the Bills before he was picked off by Damar Hamlin on a pass he threw behind tight end

Jermaine Terry. The biggest improvement Sanders has shown in the preseason games is his ability to stand in the pocket as well as move up when he needs to. He showed plenty of patience before firing an 8-yard touchdown pass to a wide-open Luke Floriea in the end zone. “I thought he operated more smooth than the first week in terms of handling cadence. His command of the offense has grown by leaps and bounds. When we had protection, he threw the ball down the field. There was a lot there to like,” Monken said on Sunday about Sanders after reviewing the game film. Watson has started only 19 games for Cleveland since being acquired from Houston in 2022 and signing a fully guaranteed, $230 million contract that will likely go down as perhaps one of the worst trades and contract in NFL history.

6C ✦ Monday, August 24, 2026 ✦ nola.com ✦ The Times-Picayune

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SCOREBOARD Odds Sports Betting Line College Football Saturday

FAVORITE OPEN TODAY O/U UNDERDOG at TCU 6½ 7½ (47½)N. Carolina at USC 35½ 38½ (60½)San Jose St at VIRGINIA 5½ 5½ (53½) NC State at NDSU 8½ 6½ (46½) Jax State at E. MICHIGN 7½ 8½ (52½) Sac St. at STANFORD 3½ 5½ (49½) Hawaii at FSU 30½ 31½ (53½)New Mex St. at UNLV 3½ 5½ (57½) Memphis

MLB

Monday

American League FAVORITE LINE at DETROIT OFF at WHITE SOX OFF at LA ANGELS OFF at ATHLETICS OFF National League FAVORITE LINE at WASHINGTON OFF at ARIZONA OFF at SAN DIEGO OFF at SAN FRAN OFF Interleague FAVORITE LINE at MIAMI OFF at SEATTLE OFF

UNDERDOG Tampa Bay Texas Cleveland Minnesota

LINE OFF OFF OFF OFF

UNDERDOG LINE Colorado OFF Chicago Cubs OFF Pittsburgh OFF Cincinnati OFF UNDERDOG Boston Philadelphia

LINE OFF OFF

Pro basketball WNBA Glance EASTERN CONFERENCE x-Atlanta x-Indiana New York Washington Chicago Toronto Connecticut

W 24 24 23 21 15 11 9

L 13 14 15 15 22 25 27

Pct GB .649 — .632 ½ .605 1½ .583 2½ .405 9 .306 12½ .250 14½

x-Minnesota x-Golden State x-Las Vegas Dallas Portland Los Angeles Phoenix Seattle

W 31 25 25 21 15 13 13 7

L 7 11 13 16 21 24 24 30

Pct GB .816 — .694 5 .658 6 .568 9½ .417 15 .351 17½ .351 17½ .189 23½

WESTERN CONFERENCE

x-clinched playoff spot Saturday’s Games

Sunday’s Games

Dallas 92, Seattle 70 Indiana at Chicago, n Las Vegas at Toronto, n Washington at Portland, n

Monday’s Games

Golden State at Minnesota, 7 p.m. Atlanta at Los Angeles, 9 p.m.

Pro football NFL Glance Thursday’s Games

Las Vegas 22, Houston 20 San Francisco 41, L.A. Chargers 17

Friday’s Games

N.Y. Jets 17, Pittsburgh 0 Carolina 34, Jacksonville 17 Green Bay 33, Denver 13 Saturday’s Games Detroit 17, Washington 13 Atlanta 34, Indianapolis 6 Baltimore 13, Minnesota 3 Buffalo 31, Cleveland 7 L.A. Rams 34, New Orleans 0 N.Y. Giants 26, Miami 3 Cincinnati 27, Chicago 9 New England 24, Philadelphia 21 Tampa Bay 16, Kansas City 15 Dallas 34, Arizona 13

Sunday’s Games

Seattle at Tennessee, n

Thursday, Aug. 27

Pittsburgh at Buffalo, 6 p.m. New England at Cleveland, 7 p.m. San Francisco at Las Vegas, 7 p.m. L.A. Rams at L.A. Chargers, 9 p.m.

Friday, Aug. 28

Washington at Baltimore, 5 p.m. Atlanta at Miami, 6 p.m. Houston at Carolina, 6 p.m. N.Y. Giants at N.Y. Jets, 6:30 p.m. Tampa Bay at Jacksonville, 6:30 p.m. Arizona at Green Bay, 7 p.m. Cincinnati at Philadelphia, 7 p.m. New Orleans at Dallas, 7 p.m. Seattle at Kansas City, 7 p.m. Minnesota at Denver, 8 p.m.

Saturday, Aug. 29

Detroit at Indianapolis, noon Chicago at Tennessee, 5 p.m.

Golf BMW Championship Sunday

CPKC Women’s Open

-17 -14 -13 -12 -12 -12 -10 -10 -9 -8 -8 -7 -7 -7 -7 -6 -6 -6 -6 -6 -6 -5 -5 -5 -5 -4 -4 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -2 -2 -2 -2 -1 -1 -1 -1 E E E +1 +1 +1 +2 +2 +2 +5

Sunday

At Royal Mayfair Golf Club Edmonton, Alberta Purse: $2.8 million Yardage: 6,452; Par: 70 Final Round Miyu Yamashita 62-64-65-66—257 65-66-66-69—266 Yuri Yoshida Sei Young Kim 68-68-64-67—267 Anna Huang 65-68-70-65—268 Gina Kim 66-67-64-71—268 Ruoning Yin 65-67-68-68—268 Aphrodite Deng 70-67-63-69—269 66-67-68-68—269 Laney Frye Ariya Jutanugarn 66-68-67-68—269 Yan Liu 67-69-67-68—271 Nataliya Guseva 67-71-65-69—272 Jennifer Kupcho 66-68-64-74—272 Pajaree Anannarukarn 69-68-69-67—273 Brooke Henderson 67-68-68-70—273 69-70-67-67—273 Alison Lee

American League East Division

-7 -6 -6 -6 -6 -6 -6 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -4 -4 -4 -4 -4 -4 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -2 -2 -2 -2 -1 -1 -1 E E E E E +1 +2 +2 +3 +3 +3 +3 +3 +4 +4 +4 +5 +6 +9

Auto racing NASCAR Cup Series Dollar Tree 301 Results

National League

East Division

Tampa Bay New York Boston Toronto Baltimore

W 77 74 70 64 63

L 53 56 59 68 68

Pct .592 .569 .543 .485 .481

GB — 3 6½ 14 14½

Chicago Cleveland Minnesota Detroit Kansas City

W 67 64 63 61 57

L 62 66 67 68 74

Pct .519 .492 .485 .473 .435

GB — 3½ 4½ 6 11

Milwaukee Chicago St. Louis Pittsburgh Cincinnati

Houston Texas Seattle Los Angeles Athletics

W 65 64 62 52 50

L 65 66 68 78 80

Pct .500 .492 .477 .400 .385

GB — 1 3 13 15

Los Angeles San Diego Arizona San Francisco Colorado

Central Division

West Division

Saturday’s Games

-23 -14 -13 -12 -12 -12 -11 -11 -11 -9 -8 -8 -7 -7 -7

At New Hampshire Motor Speedway Loudon, N.H. Lap length: 1.06 miles (Start position in parentheses) 1. (8) Ryan Blaney, Ford, 301 laps, 70 points. 2. (23) Bubba Wallace, Toyota, 301, 43. 3. (2) Josh Berry, Ford, 301, 49. 4. (6) Christopher Bell, Toyota, 301, 43. 5. (9) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, 301, 48. 6. (7) Ty Gibbs, Toyota, 301, 38. 7. (4) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 301, 32. 8. (1) Tyler Reddick, Toyota, 301, 29. 9. (18) Ryan Preece, Ford, 301, 38. 10. (19) Noah Gragson, Ford, 301, 27. 11. (25) Brad Keselowski, Ford, 301, 31. 12. (26) Austin Cindric, Ford, 301, 25. 13. (14) Zane Smith, Ford, 301, 24. 14. (21) Joey Logano, Ford, 301, 23. 15. (10) Alex Bowman, Chevrolet, 301, 22. 16. (15) Michael McDowell, Chevrolet, 301, 21. 17. (35) Daniel Suárez, Chevrolet, 301, 20. 18. (16) Chris Buescher, Ford, 301, 23. 19. (22) Carson Hocevar, Chevrolet, 300, 27. 20. (5) Shane Van Gisbergen, Chevrolet, 300, 19. 21. (13) Todd Gilliland, Ford, 300, 16. 22. (32) Cole Custer, Chevrolet, 300, 15. 23. (24) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet, 300, 14. 24. (28) Austin Hill, Chevrolet, 300, 0. 25. (29) Chase Elliott, Chevrolet, 300, 12. 26. (17) Chase Briscoe, Toyota, 300, 12. 27. (33) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, 300, 10. 28. (30) Ricky Stenhouse Jr, Chevrolet, 300, 9. 29. (36) Cody Ware, Chevrolet, 300, 8. 30. (3) William Byron, Chevrolet, 296, 14. 31. (31) John H. Nemechek, Toyota, 296, 6. 32. (34) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 282, 5. 33. (11) Erik Jones, Toyota, garage, 251, 4. 34. (27) Riley Herbst, Toyota, accident, 222, 3. 35. (20) Connor Zilisch, Chevrolet, accident, 222, 2. 36. (12) Ross Chastain, Chevrolet, engine, 41, 1. Race Statistics Average Speed of Race Winner: 94.366 mph. Time of Race: 3 hours, 22 minutes, 59 seconds. Margin of Victory: .586 seconds. Caution Flags: 9 for 51 laps. Lead Changes: 15 among 8 drivers. Lap Leaders: T.Reddick 0; W.Byron 1-25; S.Van Gisbergen 26-42; W.Byron 43; S.Van Gisbergen 44-56; K.Larson 57-74; R.Preece 75-91; J.Berry 92-147; R.Blaney 148-188; J.Berry 189; B.Wallace 190-194; J.Berry 195209; B.Wallace 210-221; J.Berry 222; B.Wallace 223-227; R.Blaney 228-301 Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Led, Laps Led): R.Blaney, 2 times for 115 laps; J.Berry, 4 times for 73 laps; S.Van Gisbergen, 2 times for 30 laps; W.Byron, 2 times for 26 laps; B.Wallace, 3 times for 22 laps; K.Larson, 1 time for 18 laps; R.Preece, 1 time for 17 laps; T.Reddick, 1 time for 0 laps. Wins: T.Reddick, 5; D.Hamlin, 4; R.Blaney, 3; T.Gibbs, 2; C.Elliott, 2; J.Logano, 2; S.Van Gisbergen, 2; C.Briscoe, 1; C.Hocevar, 1; D.Suárez, 1. Top 16 in Points: 1. D.Hamlin, 1001; 2. R.Blaney, 924; 3. T.Gibbs, 880; 4. T.Reddick, 860; 5. C.Bell, 738; 6. C.Briscoe, 727; 7. K.Larson, 708; 8. C.Elliott, 707; 9. J.Logano, 682; 10. C.Buescher, 676; 11. C.Hocevar, 672; 12. W.Byron, 644; 13. D.Suárez, 638; 14. B.Wallace, 630; 15. A.Cindric, 599; 16. S.Van Gisbergen, 586. NASCAR Driver Rating Formula A maximum of 150 points can be attained in a race. The formula combines the following categories: Wins, Finishes, Top-15 Finishes, Average Running Position While on Lead Lap, Average Speed Under Green, Fastest Lap, Led Most Laps, Lead-Lap Finish.

Tennis Western & Southern Open Results Sunday

At Lindner Family Tennis Center Cincinnati Purse: $9,415,725 Surface: Hardcourt outdoor Results Sunday from Western & Southern Open at Lindner Family Tennis Center (seedings in parentheses):

W 75 73 67 61 59

Atlanta Philadelphia Miami Washington New York

Central Division

West Division

W 81 74 66 63 62

W 79 70 68 52 50

Saturday’s Games

L 55 58 64 71 71

Pct .577 .557 .511 .462 .454

GB — 2½ 8½ 15 16

L 49 56 66 68 68

Pct .623 .569 .500 .481 .477

GB — 7 16 18½ 19

Pct .608 .538 .523 .403 .388

GB — 9 11 26½ 28½

L 51 60 62 77 79

Toronto 4, N.Y. Yankees 3 Kansas City 3, Detroit 1 L.A. Angels 3, Texas 0 Baltimore 3, Tampa Bay 2, 10 innings Seattle 5, Chicago Cubs 4 Athletics 4, Houston 3 Boston 3, San Francisco 2 N.Y. Mets 10, Chicago White Sox 5 Cleveland 4, Colorado 3 San Diego 7, Minnesota 5

Milwaukee 4, Atlanta 1 Miami 4, Washington 2 Philadelphia 12, St. Louis 3 Seattle 5, Chicago Cubs 4 L.A. Dodgers 4, Pittsburgh 3 Boston 3, San Francisco 2 N.Y. Mets 10, Chicago White Sox 5 Cleveland 4, Colorado 3 Cincinnati 11, Arizona 5 San Diego 7, Minnesota 5

Tampa Bay 3, Baltimore 1 N.Y. Yankees 8, Toronto 3 Chicago White Sox 2, N.Y. Mets 1 Kansas City 11, Detroit 7 Texas 5, L.A. Angels 3 Athletics 7, Houston 6 Boston 5, San Francisco 4 Cleveland 7, Colorado 2 San Diego 8, Minnesota 1

Philadelphia 6, St. Louis 4 Miami 6, Washington 2 Chicago White Sox 2, N.Y. Mets 1 Boston 5, San Francisco 4 Cleveland 7, Colorado 2 L.A. Dodgers 4, Pittsburgh 0 San Diego 8, Minnesota 1 Arizona 5, Cincinnati 3 Chicago Cubs 19, Seattle 2 Atlanta at Milwaukee, n

Sunday’s Games

Chicago Cubs 19, Seattle 2

WILD CARD GLANCE American League New York Boston Cleveland Texas Toronto Baltimore Minnesota Seattle

W 74 71 65 65 64 63 63 62

L 56 59 66 66 68 68 68 69

Pct .569 .546 .496 .496 .485 .481 .481 .473

National League

WCGB +9½ +6½ — — 1½ 2 2 3

Sunday

New York 109, Indiana 102 Los Angeles 77, Connecticut 68 Atlanta 99, Phoenix 89

At Bellerive Country Club Saint Louis, Mo. Purse: $20 million Yardage: 7,448; Par: 70 Final Round W. Clark $3,600,000 64-64-65-70—263 P. Cantlay $2,160,000 67-65-66-68—266 R. McIlroy $1,360,000 64-69-65-69—267 C. Gotterup $856,667 64-67-68-69—268 C. Morikawa $856,667 68-65-67-68—268 G. Woodland $856,667 64-65-70-69—268 R.MacIntyre $667,500 68-69-68-65—270 M.McNealy $667,500 67-66-69-68—270 J.Bridgeman $600,000 66-72-66-67—271 M. Brennan $540,000 69-65-69-69—272 S. Im $540,000 67-64-70-71—272 A. Bhatia $426,250 67-68-70-68—273 R. Henley $426,250 67-66-70-70—273 R. Hisatsune $426,250 65-70-67-71—273 S. Schefﬂer $426,250 72-65-68-68—273 R. Gerard $312,000 70-66-69-69—274 Aaron Rai $312,000 68-71-67-68—274 A. Scott $312,000 68-68-71-67—274 A. Smalley $312,000 69-68-70-67—274 J. Thomas $312,000 67-67-71-69—274 L. Åberg $312,000 66-70-69-69—274 J.T. Poston $312,000 70-70-69-66—275 K. Reitan $312,000 67-67-74-67—275 Justin Rose $312,000 69-67-73-66—275 J.J. Spaun $312,000 64-66-72-73—275 K. Kitayama $177,500 72-68-68-68—276 X. Schauffele $177,500 70-66-71-69—276 S. Burns $153,000 71-67-68-71—277 M. Fitzptrick $153,000 65-72-69-71—277 Eric Cole $153,000 67-68-67-75—277 Tom Kim $153,000 72-69-68-68—277 H. Mtsuyma $153,000 72-68-70-67—277 V. Hovland $124,500 71-63-72-72—278 Si Woo Kim $124,500 70-69-70-69—278 M. McCarty $124,500 70-67-70-71—278 Sepp Straka $124,500 73-68-65-72—278 Rickie Fowler $106,000 71-69-69-70—279 A. Noren $106,000 71-69-65-74—279 M. Thrbjrnsn $106,000 66-66-75-72—279 C. Young $106,000 71-65-69-74—279 N. Højgaard $92,000 73-71-65-71—280 J. Knapp $92,000 67-72-76-65—280 S. Theegala $92,000 71-72-68-69—280 Bud Cauley $80,000 73-69-68-71—281 A. Fitzpatrick $80,000 66-72-71-72—281 Ben Grifﬁn $80,000 68-73-68-72—281 T. Fleetwood $70,000 69-69-74-70—282 Ryan Fox $70,000 71-69-71-71—282 Min Woo Lee $70,000 69-72-70-71—282 N. Echavarria $66,000 69-74-73-69—285

Mao Saigo 66-67-70-70—273 Robyn Choi 71-66-70-67—274 Hye Jin Choi 71-68-68-67—274 Jodi Ewart Shadoff 70-68-67-69—274 Ayaka Furue 68-66-70-70—274 Dongeun Lee 68-69-64-73—274 Yuna Nishimura 72-68-67-67—274 Na Rin An 70-68-66-71—275 Ashleigh Buhai 72-68-67-68—275 Nasa Hataoka 63-69-71-72—275 Grace Kim 67-69-71-68—275 Nanna Koerstz Madsen 68-67-70-70—275 Nelly Korda 67-70-69-69—275 Somi Lee 69-65-65-76—275 Kiara Romero 64-67-69-75—275 Nicole Broch Estrup 69-67-70-70—276 Carlota Ciganda 69-71-68-68—276 Gemma Dryburgh 67-67-72-70—276 Hyo Joo Kim 68-72-68-68—276 Natasha Andrea Oon 68-65-69-74—276 Amy Yang 69-70-66-71—276 Karis Davidson 69-67-70-71—277 Manon De Roey 71-67-65-74—277 Soo Bin Joo 68-63-71-75—277 Gurleen Kaur 68-66-70-73—277 Lydia Ko 70-69-69-69—277 S. Vinijchaitham 68-68-71-70—277 Michelle Xing 65-73-71-68—277 Allisen Corpuz 71-68-74-65—278 Melanie Green 69-69-70-70—278 Cassie Porter 69-68-69-72—278 Chiara Tamburlini 71-69-67-71—278 Chizzy Iwai 69-70-67-73—279 Mary Liu 66-69-73-71—279 Michelle Zhang 73-67-71-68—279 Ana Belac 73-65-65-77—280 Olivia Cowan 68-72-69-71—280 Lindy Duncan 71-69-67-73—280 Brooke Matthews 68-69-69-74—280 Riley Smyth 70-66-69-75—280 Briana Chacon 71-65-74-71—281 Gaby Lopez 71-69-68-74—282 Kelly Zhang 72-66-74-70—282 Soﬁa Garcia 71-68-71-73—283 Savannah Grewal 70-69-74-70—283 Mi Hyang Lee 71-68-69-75—283 Clairey Lin 68-72-72-71—283 Kum Kang Park 69-71-74-69—283 Jennifer Chang 70-69-75-70—284 Hailee Cooper 69-68-75-72—284 Maude-Aimee Leblanc 68-71-72-73—284 Jenny Shin 73-67-72-73—285 Amanda Doherty 70-70-74-72—286 Benedetta Moresco 70-70-74-75—289

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL

Chicago Philadelphia San Diego Arizona Miami St. Louis

W 75 73 71 69 67 66

L 56 58 60 62 64 66

Pct .573 .557 .542 .527 .511 .500

WCGB +4 +2 — 2 4 5½

BOX SCORES Texas 5, L.A. Angels 3

Athletics 7, Houston 6

Chi White Sox 2, N.Y. Mets 1

Los Angeles

Athletics

New York

Texas

Houston

Chicago

ab r h bi ab r h bi Neto ss 5 1 2 1 Foscue 2b 4 0 00 Trout dh 4 0 1 0 Carter cf 0 0 00 Ballesters 1b5 1 2 0 Seager ss 3 1 20 Grissom 3b 4 1 1 0 Langford lf 3 0 20 Lowe rf 3 0 0 1 Nimmo rf 3 0 01 Campero lf 4 0 2 1 Duran cf-3b 3 1 11 Siri cf 4 0 2 0 Burger 1b 3 0 00 Moore 2b 4 0 1 0 O’Hoppe dh 2 1 10 Heineman c 3 0 0 0 Pederson ph-dh2 0 0 0 Guzman ph 1 0 0 0 Freeman 3b-2b 3 1 1 1 Díaz c 2 1 12 Totals 37 3 11 3 Totals 28 5 8 5 Los Angeles 000 000 030 — 3 Texas 030 020 00x — 5 DP_Los Angeles 2, Texas 0. LOB_Los Angeles 9, Texas 5. 2B_Trout (19), Campero (1), Ballesteros (9), Grissom (18), Moore (1), Langford (16). 3B_Freeman (1). HR_ Neto (22), Duran (14), Díaz (6). SB_Burger (3). SF_Lowe (2), Díaz (2), Nimmo (3). IP H R ER BB SO Los Angeles Kikuchi L,0-4 5 7 5 5 1 4 Murphy 1 0 0 0 1 2 Peralta 1 1 0 0 0 1 Fermin 1 0 0 0 0 2 Texas Quantrill W,6-4 6 6 0 0 0 6 Gray 1 1⁄3 1 1 1 0 2 1 Alexander ⁄3 3 2 2 0 0 1 Silseth H,13 ⁄3 0 0 0 0 0 Latz S,26-29 1 1 0 0 1 2 HBP_Kikuchi (Duran), Peralta (Seager). ABS Challenge_Foscue (Strike-Overturned to Ball); Ballesteros (Strike-Overturned to Ball). Pitch timer violations_Latz (pitcher). Umpires_Home, Alex Tosi; First, Cory Blaser; Second, Andy Fletcher; Third, Jen Pawol. T_2:42. A_31,593 (40,000).

ab r h bi ab r h bi Bolte cf 5 1 3 0 Peña ss 5 2 20 Cortes lf 5 0 1 0 Alvarez dh 2 1 10 Gelof 3b 4 1 0 0 Paredes 3b 3 1 13 Butler rf 4 1 1 1 Altuve 2b 4 1 13 White 1b 5 0 1 2 Varsho cf 5 0 10 Muncy dh 4 1 1 1 Walker 1b 5 0 10 Walton 2b 3 1 1 0 Wade lf 4 0 00 Hernaiz ss 2 1 0 0 Smith rf 2 1 00 Serven c 4 1 2 3 Trammell ph-rf 1 0 1 0 Vázquez c 3 0 00 Diaz ph-c 1 0 00 Totals 36 7 10 7 Totals 35 6 8 6 Athletics 000 060 100 — 7 Houston 310 200 000 — 6 E_Hernaiz (5). DP_Athletics 0, Houston 1. LOB_Athletics 7, Houston 9. 2B_Butler (14), Bolte (11), Peña (15). HR_Serven (4), Muncy (7), Altuve (14), Paredes (17). SF_Paredes (5). IP H R ER BB SO Athletics Basso 1 4 3 3 0 0 Perkins W,3-9 5 3 3 1 5 6 Blewett H,2 1 0 0 0 0 0 Medina H,8 1 1 0 0 1 2 Harris S,13-19 1 0 0 0 0 2 Houston Javier 4 4 3 3 2 8 1 ⁄3 3 3 3 0 1 De Los Santos 0 0 4 Teng 1 2⁄3 1 0 Okert L,6-2 1 1 1 1 0 1 Blubaugh 1 1 0 0 1 0 Hader 1 0 0 0 0 2 Javier pitched to 3 batters in the 5th. HBP_De Los Santos (Gelof), Teng (Walton). WP_Perkins, Teng. ABS Challenge_Perkins (Ball-Overturned to Strike); Javier (Ball-Overturned to Strike). Umpires_Home, Ryan Wills; First, Ryan Additon; Second, Jonathan Parra; Third,

ab r h bi ab r h bi Lindor ss 4 0 2 0 Antonacci lf 3 0 10 Bichette 3b 4 0 0 0 Doyle cf 0 0 00 Benge rf 4 1 2 0 Murakami 1b 3 0 0 0 Robert lf 2 0 1 0 Vargas 3b 3 1 10 Wagamn 1b 1 0 0 0 Benintendi dh 3 0 1 1 Young ph-1b 3 0 1 1 Acuña pr-dh 0 0 0 0 Morel dh 1 0 0 0 B.Montgmery rf3 0 0 0 Baty ph-dh 1 0 0 0 C.Montgmry ss4 0 0 0 Alvarez dh 2 0 0 0 Meidroth 2b 4 0 00 Semien 2b 3 0 0 0 Peters cf-lf 4 1 21 Ewing cf 4 0 1 0 Rogers c 3 0 00 Torrens c 3 0 0 0 Totals 32 1 7 1 Totals 30 2 5 2 New York 000 000 001 — 1 Chicago 000 000 011 — 2 DP_New York 0, Chicago 1. LOB_New York 7, Chicago 8. 2B_Lindor (8), Benge (17), Benintendi (19). HR_Peters (9). SB_Peters (7). IP H R ER BB SO New York McLean 6 1 0 0 4 6 Núñez 1 1 0 0 0 1 Duarte 1 2 1 1 0 3 1 Senga L,0-9 ⁄3 1 1 1 0 0 Chicago Newcomb 2 2 0 0 0 3 Fedde 4 3 0 0 1 2 Smith 2 0 0 0 0 3 Taylor W,6-2 1 2 1 1 2 2 Newcomb pitched to 1 batter in the 3rd, Fedde pitched to 2 batters in the 7th. HBP_McLean (Antonacci). ABS Challenge_McLean (Ball-Overturned to Strike); McLean (Ball-Overturned to Strike); McLean (Ball-Conﬁrmed); McLean (Ball-Overturned to Strike). Umpires_Home, Dexter Kelley; First, Quinn Wolcott; Second, Ramon De Jesus; Third, Adrian Johnson. T_2:34. A_27,721 (40,241).

Miami 6, Washington 2

N.Y. Yankees 8, Toronto 3

L.A. Dodgers 4, Pittsburgh 0

Toronto

Pittsburgh

Washington

Miami

New York

Los Angeles

ab r h bi ab r h bi 4 1 1 0 Lopez ss 2 1 01 5 0 0 0 Ramírez dh 3 2 10 4 0 2 1 Hernández lf 3 0 1 1 3 1 1 0 Edwards 2b 4 0 12 4 0 0 0 E.Ruiz cf-rf 4 0 00 4 0 1 1 Sanoja 3b 4 0 10 2 0 0 0 De Los Snts 1b 2 0 1 0 4 0 0 0 Marsee ph-cf 1 2 1 0 3 0 0 0 Conine rf-1b 3 1 1 0 Navarreto c 2 0 00 Mack ph-c 2 0 12 Totals 33 2 5 2 Totals 30 6 8 6 Washington 000 101 000 — 2 Miami 100 022 01x — 6 E_Fairbanks (1). DP_Washington 1, Miami 0. LOB_Washington 9, Miami 7. 2B_Lile (24), Crews (13), Vivas (9), Hernández (14), Sanoja (27), Mack (8). SF_Lopez (10). IP H R ER BB SO Washington Kent L,0-2 4 2⁄3 4 3 3 3 5 2 3 3 Williams 2 1⁄3 2 2 Kranick 1 2 1 1 0 0 Miami Junk 4 2⁄3 2 1 1 0 2 1 Petersen W,3-3 ⁄3 0 0 0 1 1 Faucher H,14 1 1 1 1 1 1 Ralston H,1 2 2 0 0 0 2 Fairbanks 1 0 0 0 1 1 HBP_Junk 2 (Chaparro,Young). ABS Challenge_Junk (Ball-Overturned to Strike); Williams (Ball-Conﬁrmed); Ruiz (Strike-Overturned to Ball). Umpires_Home, Stu Scheuwater; First, Steven Jaschinski; Second, Rob Drake; Third, D.J. Reyburn. T_2:45. A_17,826 (37,446).

ab r h bi ab r h bi Bateman rf 3 0 0 1 Grisham cf 4 1 12 Guerrero 1b 4 0 0 0 Rice dh 5 0 22 Kirk c 4 0 1 1 García 1b 3 0 00 Valenzula c 0 0 0 0 Bellinger lf 4 1 10 Springer dh 4 1 1 0 Lombard ss 4 2 20 Okamoto 3b 3 0 1 0 Jones rf 3 2 21 Clement ss 4 0 0 0 Chisholm 2b 4 2 2 2 Cameron lf 3 0 0 1 Wells c 3 0 11 McAdoo 2b 3 1 0 0 Caballero 3b 4 0 0 0 Straw cf 3 1 2 0 Totals 31 3 5 3 Totals 34 811 8 Toronto 001 100 010 — 3 New York 020 003 21x — 8 E_Lombard (4). DP_Toronto 1, New York 0. LOB_Toronto 5, New York 7. 2B_Straw 2 (16), Springer (16), Okamoto (20), Jones (8), Wells (7). HR_Chisholm (18), Grisham (18). SF_Bateman (1), Cameron (1). IP H R ER BB SO Toronto Soriano L,10-7 5 7 5 5 3 7 2 Fisher ⁄3 0 0 0 1 1 1 Fluharty ⁄3 1 0 0 0 0 Little 1 2 2 2 0 2 Woods Richardson 1 1 1 1 0 1 New York Rodón 4 2 2 1 2 2 Blackburn W,5-2 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 1 Yarbrough H,1 1 ⁄3 2 1 1 Headrick 1 1⁄3 1 0 0 0 2 Soriano pitched to 3 batters in the 6th. HBP_Soriano (Wells). Umpires_Home, Louie Krupa; First, Jeremie Rehak; Second, Adam Beck; Third, Dan Iassogna. T_2:49. A_41,802 (47,309).

ab r h bi ab r h bi Gonzales 3b 3 0 0 0 Ohtani dh 3 1 00 Valdez rf 3 0 0 0 Freeman 1b 4 1 20 Reynolds dh 3 0 0 0 Betts ss 4 0 10 Lowe 2b 3 0 1 0 Muncy 3b 3 0 01 Flores c 4 0 0 0 Edman 2b 2 1 00 Yorke lf 4 0 0 0 Tucker rf 3 1 10 Horwitz 1b 3 0 1 0 T.Hernández lf 4 0 0 0 Triolo ss 2 0 0 0 Thomas cf 3 0 11 Gonzalez ss 1 0 0 0 Feduccia c 3 0 11 Cook cf 2 0 0 0 Cruz ph-cf 1 0 0 0 Totals 29 0 2 0 Totals 29 4 6 3 Pittsburgh 000 000 000 — 0 Los Angeles 100 210 00x — 4 DP_Pittsburgh 1, Los Angeles 0. LOB_ Pittsburgh 7, Los Angeles 6. SB_Gonzales (6), Ohtani (9). IP H R ER BB SO Pittsburgh Bachar L,1-3 2 1 1 1 3 1 Mlodzinski 3 5 3 3 0 4 Curtis 3 0 0 0 1 1 Los Angeles Snell W,2-1 6 2 0 0 3 6 Henriquez 1 0 0 0 0 2 Stewart 1 0 0 0 0 1 Vesia 1 0 0 0 1 1 HBP_Snell (Gonzales), Mlodzinski (Edman). WP_Curtis. ABS Challenge_Bachar (Ball-Overturned to Strike). Umpires_Home, Mike Estabrook; First, Lance Barrett; Second, Malachi Moore; Third, Alfonso Marquez. T_2:34. A_44,092 (56,000).

Chicago Cubs 19, Seattle 2

Boston 5, San Francisco 4

Arizona 5, Cincinnati 3

San Francisco

Cincinnati

Lile lf Ortiz dh Crews rf K.Ruiz c Tena 2b Vivas 3b Chaprro 1b Nuñez ss Young cf

Men’s Singles

Championship Arthur Fils (21), France, def. Frances Tiafoe (17), United States, 6-3, 1-6, 6-0.

Women’s Singles

Championship Coco Gauff (4), United States, def. Jessica Pegula (3), United States, 6-2, 6-4.

Men’s Doubles

Championship Rafael Matos and Orlando Luz, Brazil, def. Robin Haase, Netherlands, and Constantin Frantzen, Germany, 6-4, 3-6, 10-7.

Transactions Major League Baseball

American League BALTIMORE ORIOLES — Sent RHP Félix Bautista on a rehab assignment to Chesapeake (EL). DETROIT TIGERS — Selected the contract of LHP Andrew Sears from Toledo (IL). Optioned LHP Enmanuel De Jesus to Toledo. Designated CF James Outman for assignment. LOS ANGELES ANGELS — Reinstated LHP Yusei Kikuchi from the 60-day IL. Designated RHP Michael Fulmer for assignment. NEW YORK YANKEES — Reinstated LF Cody Bellinger from the 10-day IL. Recalled RHP Brendan Beck from Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (IL). Placed LHP Ryan Weathers on the 15-day IL. TAMPA BAY RAYS — Reinstated RHP Manuel Rodríguez from the 60-day IL. Sent RHP Grifﬁn Jax on a rehab assignment to Durham (IL). Designated RHP Chris Roycroft for assignment. TEXAS RANGERS — Recalled C Logan O’Hoppe from Round Rock (PCL). Designated RF Jarred Kelenic for assignment. National League ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS — Reinstated RHP Drey Jameson from the 15-day IL. Designated RHP Zack Littell for assignment.

Chicago

Seattle

ab r h bi ab r h bi Armstrng cf 4 2 2 3 Arozarena lf 4 1 11 Alcantara cf 1 1 1 0 Canzone dh 3 0 10 Suzuki rf 3 3 2 0 Pereda p-c 0 0 00 Busch 1b 3 3 1 0 Rodríguez cf 4 0 0 0 Bregman 3b 3 2 0 2 Raleigh c 4 0 10 Happ lf 4 2 2 5 Wisdom 1b 0 0 00 Hoerner ss 4 0 1 0 Naylor 1b 4 0 20 Arias ph-ss 2 1 1 2 Rodden 3b 0 0 00 Ramirez 2b 6 3 3 5 Wilson 3b-p 4 0 10 Conforto dh 2 1 1 1 Young 2b 4 0 00 Taylor ph-dh4 0 2 0 Robles rf 3 1 10 Amaya c 0 0 0 0 Rivas ss 4 0 00 Totals 41191719 Totals 34 2 7 1 Chicago 005 011 093 — 19 Seattle 110 000 000 — 2 E_Kelly (7), Wilson (3). DP_Chicago 0, Seattle 3. LOB_Chicago 7, Seattle 8. HR_ Conforto (11), Happ (22), Crow-Armstrong (33), Ramirez (3), Arozarena (20). SB_ Robles (10), Suzuki (3), Crow-Armstrong (32). SF_Bregman (6). IP H R ER BB SO Chicago Imanaga 2 5 2 1 2 4 Civale W,6-7 4 1 0 0 0 2 Thornton 1 0 0 0 0 1 Thielbar 1 0 0 0 0 1 Kelly 1 1 0 0 0 0 Seattle Miller L,4-8 4 1⁄3 2 6 6 7 5 Ferrer 1 2⁄3 3 1 1 0 0 Bazardo 1 0 0 0 0 1 2 Rucker ⁄3 4 7 7 2 1 1 Pereda ⁄3 3 2 2 0 0 Wilson 1 5 3 3 0 0 Umpires_Home, Ben May; First, Chris Conroy; Second, Brennan Miller; Third, Ryan Blakney. T_3:11. A_44,649 (47,929).

Boston

ab r h bi ab r h bi Basabe 2b 4 0 0 0 Jones dh 2 1 20 Devers dh 3 1 0 0 Gasper dh-ph 2 1 1 1 Adames ss 3 1 1 0 Rafaela cf 4 0 32 Kennedy 3b 1 0 1 0 Abreu rf 4 0 00 Eldridge 1b 4 0 2 1 Contreras 1b 4 0 0 0 Bericoto lf 2 0 1 1 Durbin 3b 4 0 00 Gilbert ph-lf 2 0 0 0 Sogard 2b 3 2 21 Lee rf 4 0 0 0 Monasterio ss 4 0 1 0 Knizner c 4 0 0 0 White lf 3 0 00 Cox cf 4 1 2 1 Duran ph-lf 1 0 00 Koss 3b-ss 3 1 1 0 Wong c 3 1 21 Rutschman c 1 0 0 0 Totals 34 4 8 3 Totals 35 511 5 San Francisco 210 000 100 — 4 Boston 011 300 00x — 5 E_Monasterio (6), Abreu (8). DP_San Francisco 0, Boston 1. LOB_San Francisco 4, Boston 7. 2B_Sogard (9), Wong (11), Gasper (7), Monasterio (23). 3B_Jones (1). HR_Cox (2), Sogard (2). SB_Rafaela (17). IP H R ER BB SO San Francisco Wilkinson L,0-1 3 2⁄3 7 4 4 0 2 Brubaker 1 2⁄3 3 1 1 1 0 2 1 ⁄3 0 0 Hentges 0 0 2 1 1 0 0 0 1 Harris Boston Bennett W,8-6 7 7 4 3 1 6 Guerrero H,17 1 1 0 0 0 0 Chapman S,29-31 1 0 0 0 0 1 WP_Hentges. Umpires_Home, James Jean; First, Sean Barber; Second, John Libka; Third, James Hoye. T_2:35. A_36,278 (37,755).

Arizona

ab r h bi ab r h bi De La Cruz ss5 1 1 0 Vargas 2b 4 1 22 Stewart 1b 5 1 2 1 Carroll rf 3 1 21 Myers cf 4 1 2 0 Moreno dh 1 0 01 Stephnsn dh4 0 1 0 Perdomo ss 3 0 10 Suárez 3b 2 0 1 2 Arenado 3b 4 0 00 McLain 2b 3 0 0 0 Tawa 1b 4 1 20 Bleday lf 3 0 0 0 Lawlar cf-lf 3 1 10 Banﬁeld c 3 0 0 0 McCann c 3 1 00 Trevino ph-c 1 0 0 0 Waldschmidt lf 2 0 0 0 Rodríguez rf 4 0 1 0 Nootbaar ph 1 0 0 1 Barrosa cf 0 0 00 Totals 34 3 8 3 Totals 28 5 8 5 Cincinnati 003 000 000 — 3 Arizona 000 001 40x — 5 E_Vargas (3). DP_Cincinnati 1, Arizona 1. LOB_Cincinnati 10, Arizona 6. 2B_De La Cruz (21), Myers (9), Rodríguez (2), Carroll (28), Vargas (18). 3B_Carroll (16), Vargas (5). SF_Moreno (9), Carroll (4). S_Lawlar (1). IP H R ER BB SO Cincinnati Abbott L,6-9 6 7 4 4 2 6 Mey BS,0-1 1 1 1 1 2 1 P.Johnson 1 0 0 0 0 0 Arizona Bratt 3 5 3 3 3 3 Carrillo 1 2⁄3 1 0 0 2 3 Clarke 1 1⁄3 0 0 0 0 1 Loáisiga W,5-3 1 1 0 0 0 1 Morillo H,17 1 0 0 0 0 1 2 B.Garcia H,14 ⁄3 1 0 0 0 1 1 Ginkel S,2-3 ⁄3 0 0 0 0 1 Abbott pitched to 3 batters in the 7th. HBP_Morillo (Suárez). T_2:48. A_28,433 (48,359).

LIVING

N O L A.C O M

M o n d ay, au g u s t 24, 2026

1dn

Here’s the scoop on ice cream cones

Which way?

American immigrants credited for ingenious invention

BY DEE-ANN DURBIN Associated Press

Why do so many people in Louisiana back into parking spaces, especially trucks?

BY IZZY WOLLFARTH

ä See CURIOUS, page 2D

GETTy IMAGES PHOTO

Minutes after Amy King ﬂew into Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport, she stopped for a cup of coffee. She was visiting from Liberty, Missouri, and couldn’t help but wonder why all the trucks in the parking lot had pulled into the parking spaces backwards. “Is this a Louisiana thing?” she asked her friend. She decided to pose the question to Curious Louisiana — why do so many people in Louisiana back into parking spaces? “For me, it takes so much more effort to back into a parking space that I’m just curious why people do it — why they take the extra time to do it?” King asked. Turns out, back-in parking is a practice linked to decades-old industries in the world — the military, oil and gas companies and even healthcare. For Louisiana businesses, reverse parking is about safety. Acadian Ambulance Service, a private ambulance company covering emergency transport in Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi and Tennessee, encourages back-in parking for safety reasons. Ashley Matthews, a National Registry Advanced Emergency Medical Technician at Acadian Ambulance Service, explained that every second counts in an emergency situation. “If the scene is not safe anymore for whatever reason, if we need to respond really quickly to an emergency, it’s really easier and cuts down on a few minutes on time to be able to pull out versus backing out,” said Matthews. Other companies like American Automobile Association, a nationwide company providing roadside assistance, also urge drivers to reverse into parking spaces whenever possible. While the exact date of reverse parking is unknown, it appears to have started in the military back in the mid-20th century. “They introduced back-end parking to help build military tactical habits or behaviors in

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO

Staff writer

DETROIT — Read this quickly, before it melts. Ice cream was a rare and expensive treat for centuries because of the difficulty of storing ice. In the summer of 1790, President George Washington spent $200 on ice cream, the equivalent of $7,259 today, according to the International Dairy Foods Association. By the 1800s, inventions like mechanical refrigeration had made ice cream cheaper and more accessible. But America’s pushcart vendors needed a way to serve ice cream to customers. Enter “penny licks.” Customers would pay a penny for a scoop of ice cream served in a thick glass, which they would lick clean and hand back to the vendor. The glass — sometimes rinsed, sometimes not — was then filled for the next customer. But vendors were frustrated by broken glass and cities were concerned about the spread of disease. London banned penny licks in 1898. Italian immigrants came to the rescue. In 1902, Antonio Valvona, an ice-cream maker living in Manchester, England, was granted a U.S. patent for a metal mold that could form edible waffle-like cups. He quickly started selling the cups on both sides of the Atlantic. The following year, Italo Marchiony, an ice cream vendor in New York, was granted a patent for a similar device. Marchiony went on to develop the ice-cream sandwich. But it was the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair that gave the ice-cream cone its now-familiar shape and vaulted it to popularity. Several concessionaires at the fair have been touted as the inventors of the ice-cream cone. Joy Baking Group, founded in 1918 and currently making 2 billion cones a year, credits Ernest Hamwi, a 20-year-old Syrian immigrant. Hamwi was selling zalabiyeh — a crisp, fried pastry — in a booth next to Albert Aboussie, a Lebanese-born ice cream vendor. When Aboussie ran out of paper cups, Hamwi began rolling his pastries into cones dubbed “cornucopias.” They were an instant hit. By 1910, “cornucopia” had been simplified to “cone,” and Hamwi

ä See CONES, page 2D

Artisans endure behind Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar BY FRANCISCO SECO Associated Press

ISTANBUL — For centuries, Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar has been more than a marketplace. Behind its crowded passageways, generations of craftspeople have made, repaired and restored the objects that eventually emerge for sale. In workshops and in narrow streets surrounding the bazaar, casters shape molten metal over

ﬁre. Engravers add detail. Polishers bring ﬁnished pieces to a shine. A single object can pass through several specialists before reaching a merchant’s counter. Much of that work happens out of sight, in rooms crowded with tools and machinery and darkened by years of dust, smoke and heat. The artisans’ quarter is also a community. Tea circulates through

ä See ARTISANS, page 2D

Master sand casters Mevlut, left, and Ahmet yildirim make molds for pouring molten metal in their workshop in the Buyukhan artisan quarter in Istanbul, Turkey, on Aug. 6. ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By FRANCISCO SECO

2D ✦ Monday,August 24, 2026 ✦ nola.com ✦ The Times-Picayune

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Tonsillectomy can help sleep apnea Dear Doctors: My 22-year-old son was tested for sleep apnea because of his snoring. The ENT suggested a tonsillectomy as an option. He also has a severe nut allergy with anaphylaxis reactions. I was wondering if removing his tonsils would affect the immune system and his allergic reaction. Dear Reader: Let’s begin with tonsils. Those twin mounds of tissue look unassuming, like a physiological afterthought. But as your question suggests, they are front-line organs of the immune system. Perched at the entrance to the respiratory tract, tonsils intercept incoming bacteria, viruses and other pathogens. Then, by producing antibodies and activating certain types of immune cells, they help teach the body’s defenses to recognize potential

Dr. Elizabeth Ko Dr. Eve Glazier ASK THE DOCTORS

threats in the future. Building this kind of long-term immune memory is crucial in a child’s early years. By the time we reach our late teens and early 20s, though, tonsils have completed most of that work. At the same time, due to their shape and location, they can become a source of health problems. Tonsils can become chronically inﬂamed or infected, interfere

with breathing or swallowing, contribute to snoring or even cause obstructive sleep apnea. This is a potentially dangerous condition in which breathing repeatedly stops and starts during sleep. In those cases, a tonsillectomy may be helpful. Considering the role that tonsils play in immune function, your concern about your son’s nut allergy is understandable. However, food allergies are driven by immune pathways that do not depend on the tonsils. As a result, a tonsillectomy would not worsen — or ease — an existing food allergy. What it could do is free up room in the back of his throat. That additional space could widen his airway, which is likely why his doctor has presented it as an option. Although tonsillectomy is often associated with childhood, adults

like your son often undergo the procedure. Beneﬁts include less snoring, lowered risk of obstructive sleep apnea and fewer recurring infections. The most common risks of the surgery include excessive bleeding during or after the surgery, swelling of the surgical area, infection and reaction to anesthesia. As with all surgeries, the process begins with a health evaluation to make sure the person can withstand the rigors of surgery. A pre-op assessment typically includes a medical history, a physical exam and diagnostic testing. This may consist of blood work, urinalysis and in some cases, cardiac testing. The surgery itself takes about 30 minutes. The entire visit for the operation, from check-in to discharge, typically takes several

hours. Recovery from a tonsillectomy takes about two weeks. Unfortunately, post-surgical pain is common. Removing the tonsils leaves raw, open surfaces, which can remain painful for up to two weeks. Most people notice improvements in snoring and breathing within a few weeks. However, postsurgical swelling can temporarily mask the full beneﬁt. That means it can take a month or longer to judge the results. If sleep apnea remains a concern, a follow-up sleep study may be recommended. Send your questions to askthedoctors@mednet.ucla. edu, or write: Ask the Doctors, c/o UCLA Health Sciences Media Relations, 10880 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 1450, Los Angeles, CA, 90024.

TODAY IN HISTORY By The Associated Press Today is Monday, Aug. 24, the 236th day of 2026. There are 129 days left in the year. Today in history: On Aug. 24, 1992, Hurricane Andrew smashed into Florida; the storm resulted in 65 deaths and caused more than $26 billion in damage across Florida, Louisiana and the Bahamas. Also on this date: In 1814, during the War of 1812, British forces invaded Washington, D.C., setting fire to the still-under-construction Capitol and the White House, as well as other public buildings. In 1912, Congress passed a measure creating the Alaska Territory. In 1932, Amelia Earhart embarked on a 19-hour flight from Los Angeles to Newark, New Jersey, making her the first woman to fly solo, nonstop, from coast to coast. In 1949, the North Atlantic Treaty came into force. In 1954, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the Communist Control Act, outlawing the Communist Party in the United States. In 1981, Mark David Chapman was sentenced in New York to 20 years to life in prison for murdering John Lennon; he has repeatedly been denied parole. In 1989, Baseball Commissioner A. Bartlett Giamatti banned Pete Rose from the game for betting on his own team, the Cincinnati Reds. In 1991, in response to a coup attempt by hard-line Communist leaders attempting to reassert control over the Soviet Union, Ukrainian parliamentarians voted to approve a Declaration of Independence for the state of Ukraine. In 2006, the International Astronomical Union declared that Pluto was no longer a fullfledged planet, demoting it to the status of a “dwarf planet.” In 2012, a Norwegian court found Anders Behring Breivik guilty of terrorism and premeditated murder for twin attacks on July 22, 2011, that killed 77 people; he received a 21-year prison sentence that can be extended as long as he is considered dangerous to society. In 2018, the family of Arizona Sen. John McCain announced that he had discontinued medical treatment for an aggressive form of brain cancer; McCain died the following day. In 2019, police in Aurora, Colorado, responding to a report of a suspicious person, used a chokehold to subdue Elijah McClain, a 23-year-old Black man; he went into cardiac arrest en route to the hospital and was later taken off life support and died. Today’s Birthdays: Composermusician Mason Williams is 88. R&B singer Marshall Thompson (The Chi-Lites) is 84. WWE co-founder Vince McMahon is 81. Author Paulo Coelho is 79. Actor Anne Archer is 79. Author Alexander McCall Smith is 78. Composer Jean-Michel Jarre is 78. Author Orson Scott Card is 75. Poet Linton Kwesi Johnson is 74. Actor-writer Stephen Fry is 69. Actor Steve Guttenberg is 68. Baseball Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr. is 66. Actor Jared Harris is 65. Actor Marlee Matlin is 61. Basketball Hall of Famer Reggie Miller is 61. Film director Ava DuVernay is 54. Actor-comedian Dave Chappelle is 53. Actor James D’Arcy is 52. Actor Alex O’Loughlin is 50. Author John Green is 49. Actor Chad Michael Murray is 45.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTOS By FRANCISCO SECO

Master polisher yucel Gur polishes a metal object in his workshop in the Buyukhan artisan quarter in Istanbul, Turkey.

ARTISANS

Continued from page 1D its courtyards and workshops. Craftsmen stop for lunch, gather over games of backgammon or smoke a water pipe between jobs. But that world is changing. Some production has moved away from Istanbul’s historic center to larger, more modern workshops. Technology has changed how and where goods are made. Some traditional trades struggle to attract younger people willing to spend years learning the work. Others have adapted, sustained by repair work, tourism and continued demand for objects made or ﬁnished by hand.

ABOVE: Master craftsmen specializing in inlay and relief work, Nejat Kilic, right, and Halit Cakar work in their workshop in Istanbul’s Eminonu commercial district earlier this month. RIGHT: A wall clock hangs in the workshop of polishers yucel and Murat Gur.

CURIOUS

Continued from page 1D soldiers, airmen, and Navy personnel to get them in a better mode in case something happened — evacuation, incoming ﬁre, emergency, medical needs,” said Jonas “JJ” Johnnie, vice president of safety and training at Industrial Safety Solutions, a company in charge of safety management systems, headquartered in Youngsville. In the military, reverse parking, also known as tactical or combat parking, enhances security in operational situations — offering a quick departure in the case of an emergency. Johnnie said reverse parking has organically grown in popularity thanks to the oil and gas industry’s safety standards and practices. Within some companies and industry cultures, the reverse parking practice is so common that new hires often quickly make it their habit as well — hence, the practice’s continued growth throughout the region.

Backing into parking spots and reversing, however is not always a point of confidence for new and inexperienced drivers. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration found that in 2021, an estimated 3,990 people were killed in nontraffic crashes, with 23% of those deaths resulting from people being struck by vehicles backing up. Similarly, data shows that 64,838 people were injured in nontraffic crashes in 2021, with 37% of injuries resulting from vehicles backing up. In 2014, the U.S. Department of Transportation mandated backup camera technology in all new vehicles under 10,000 pounds by May 2018, after data showed that both children and seniors were the primary victims of back-over accidents. The percentage of back-over deaths since 2017 has fluctuated but ultimately decreased as of 2021. Brian Wolshon, professor of engineering at Louisiana State University, thinks there may be a generational gap in how reverse parking is done because of new technology. “My daughter who’s 18, I don’t

even think she relies on her mirrors. She only looks at her backup camera, and I rely on my mirrors because I grew up and became a driver without a backup camera,” said Wolshon. Still, some local Louisiana infrastructure could discourage back-in parking. For example, parking metered spaces and lots often require cars to park their vehicles head ﬁrst or facing the meter. Louisiana law leaves this to the discretion of local city governments and lawmakers to impose a fee on vehicles that park opposite the meter Although reader King doesn’t reverse as often as others she sees, she still can’t help but back into parking spaces for emergencies of her own. Months after her trip to Louisiana, King said she found herself backing into a parking space. “I was going with a friend to a show and I backed in so that I could get out faster after the show,” King said. “I just didn’t want to wait in a long line to exit the parking garage.” Perhaps King’s question turned into a self-fulﬁlling prophecy.

CONES

Continued from page 1D founded the Missouri Cone Co. Cone technology quickly advanced, with machines replacing hand-rolling. For those who wanted a lighter texture, the cake cone arrived in the early 1940s — around the time Dairy Queen and BaskinRobbins emerged. Increasingly healthconscious Americans eat less ice cream than they used to. In 1984, the average American consumed 17.8 pounds of regular ice cream each year, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. By 2024, that had fallen to 12 pounds. But as anyone from George Washington to Ben & Jerry could tell you, on a hot summer night it’s a treat that’s hard to beat.

The Times-Picayune ✦ nola.com ✦ Monday,August 24, 2026 ✦ 3D

lll

FrAnK And erneSt

roSebUdS

zItS

For better or For WorSe

zodIAC VIRGo (Aug. 23-sept. 22) Distance yourself from impulsive situations, temptation and erratic decisions. Refuse to feel cornered or vulnerable. Use your intelligence to guide you forward. LIBRA (sept. 23-oct. 23) Listen to your inner voice. Now is not the time to waffle. Take the time to research and find answers and solutions before committing to something that can affect your personal or professional life. scoRPIo (oct. 24-nov. 22) Tone it down. Too much of anything will work against you. Distance yourself from those pressuring you to go big or go home. Put more effort into doing what's best for you. sAGIttARIus (nov. 23-Dec. 21) Change begins with you and your lifestyle. Don't limit yourself. When there's a will, there's a way to satisfy your heart's desire. Focus on home, comfort and convenience. cAPRIcoRn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Welcome a life lesson. Learn to express yourself with thought and patience. An act in haste will lead to setbacks and regret, and it will send the wrong message. AQuARIus (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Positive change is within reach. Don't sell yourself short; go after what you want. Control the outcome instead of waiting for things to happen. Trust and believe in your talent and skills. PIscEs (Feb. 20-March 20) Put your energy where it counts. How you relate to others will make a difference in what you get

back from the conversations you have and the truths you speak. Stick to your beliefs. ARIEs (March 21-April 19) Precision and detail, along with good timing, will be necessary if you want to succeed. Use your connections and experience to zigzag your way through the dips and dives you face professionally and financially. tAuRus (April 20-May 20) Take charge, put a plan of action in place and pursue your dreams. Refuse to let obstacles stand in your way. Deal with matters head-on, and clear your path to freedom. GEMInI (May 21-June 20) Push for change. Do your research, and forge ahead with the intent of making a difference. A commitment to yourself or someone you love is favored. cAncER (June 21-July 22) Analyze every situation before you engage. Having a clear picture of what's unfolding is critical to the outcome. Refuse to let anyone talk you into something that isn't in your best interest. Know when to say no. LEo (July 23-Aug. 22) Reach out, be supportive and get involved. Taking an active role in bringing about change will satisfy your soul and encourage you to engage with like-minded people. The horoscope, an entertainment feature, is not based on scientific fact. © 2026 by nEa, inc., dist. By andrews mcmeel syndication

WonderWord

peAnUtS

SALLY Forth

beetLe bAILeY CeLebrItY CIpher Celebrity Cipher cryptograms are created from quotations by famous people, past and present. Each letter in the cipher stands for another.

toDAy's cLuE: W EQuALs A

Mother GooSe And GrIMM

SherMAn’S LAGoon FAMILY CIrCUS

dooneSbUrY

4D ✦ Monday,August 24, 2026 ✦ nola.com ✦ The Times-Picayune

CurTiS

Hi and LoiS

lll

Sudoku InstructIons: sudoku is a number-placing puzzle based on a 9x9 grid with several given numbers. The object is to place the numbers 1 to 9 in the empty squares so that each row, each column and each 3x3 box contains the same number only once. The difficulty level of the sudoku increases from monday to sunday. Saturday’s Puzzle Answer

BaBY BLueS

BLondie

THe wiZard oF id

nea CroSSwordS

La TimeS CroSSword

The Times-Picayune ✦ nola.com ✦ Monday,August 24, 2026 ✦ 5D

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B.C.

Bridge By PHILLIP ALDER Nancy Mitford, an English novelist who was perhaps best known for her essay about U and non-U English (upper class and non-upper class), said, “Surely a king who loves pleasure is less dangerous than one who loves glory.” At the bridge table, a king who takes a trick is more pleasurable than one who proves powerless. Worse, though, is a king who does not take a trick when it should have done. In this deal, East has to make the key plays. Defending against four hearts, how should East plan the defense after West leads the club queen? South’s two-heart rebid guaranteed at least a six-card suit and promised 12-14 high-card points. One of the keys of good defensive play is that if you lead a low card from length, you are promising at least one honor in that suit and expressing an interest in trying to win tricks in that suit. And this applies right through the deal, not just at trick one. Sometimes, though, your low card is not so low. Then you need to hope that partner is alive to the possibility. East takes the first trick with his club ace; ducking cannot be right, because declarer might have a singleton king. Then, though, returning a club probably will not help. Dummy’s spades are threatening to provide declarer with discards. Instead, East should shift to the

garfield

Pearls Before swiNe

hagar the horriBle

diamond eight. If partner does not have the ace, this play will at worst concede an unnecessary overtrick. Here, though, West should win the trick and return the diamond two, lowest from three remaining cards. This gives the defenders the first four tricks for down one. © 2026 by nEa, inc., dist. By andrews mcmeel syndication

wuzzles Each Wuzzle is a word riddle which creates a disguised word, phrase, name, place, saying, etc. For example: nOOn gOOD = gOOD aFTErnOOn

PiCKles

Previous answers:

mallard fillmore

word game InstRuctIons: 1. Words must be of four or more letters. 2. Words that acquire four letters by the addition of “s,” such as “bats” or “dies,” are not allowed. 3. additional words made by adding a “d” or an “s” may not be used. 4. proper nouns, slang words, or vulgar or sexually explicit words are not allowed.

toDAy’s WoRD — LAconIc: lah-KON-ik: Concise to the point of seeming rude or

Bizarro

marmaduKe

mysterious. Average mark 12 words Time limit 25 minutes Can you find 19 or more words in LACONIC? sAtuRDAy’s WoRD — VInEGAR vain vainer vane vang vegan vein vier vine virga naive nave

near earing earn gain gainer gave gear give given giver gnar

grain grave grin ager anger aver rage ragi rain rang range

rani rave raven ravine raving regain reign rein ring rive riven

loCKhorNs hidato Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer

today’s thought “He that keeps his mouth keeps his life: but he that opens wide his lips shall have destruction.” Proverbs 13:3

Think before you speak. — G.E. Dean

6D ✦ Monday,August 24, 2026 ✦ nola.com ✦ The Times-Picayune

muttS

roSe iS roSe

lll

Scrabble GramS dIrectIons: make a 2- to 7-letter word from the letters in each row. add points of each word, using scoring directions at right. Finally, 7-letter words get 50-point bonus. “Blanks” used as any letter have no point value. all the words are in the Official sCraBBlE® players Dictionary, 5th Edition.

Saturday’s Puzzle Answer

jump Start

For more information on tournaments and clubs, email naspa – north american sCraBBlE players association: info@scrabbleplayers.org. Visit our website: www.scrabbleplayers.org. For puzzle inquiries contact scrgrams@gmail.com.

Get fuzzy

Hasbro and its logo sCraBBlE associated logo, the design of the distinctive sCraBBlE brand game card, and the distinctive letter tile designs are trademarks of Hasbro in the United states and Canada. ©2021 Hasbro. all rights reserved. Distributed by Tribune Content agency, llC.

ken ken

animal crackerS

DuStin

InstructIons: 1 - Each row and each column must contain the numbers 1 thorugh 4 (easy) or 1 through 6 (challenging) without repeating. 2 - The numbers within the heavily outlined boxes, called cages, must combine using the given operation (in any order) to produce the target numbers in the top-left corners. 3 - Freebies: Fill in the single-box cages with the number in the top-left corner.

Wallace the brave

Drabble

WiShinG Well breWSter rockit

luann

HErE is a plEasanT liTTlE gamE that will give you a message every day. it’s a numerical puzzle designed to spell out your fortune. Count the letters in your first name. if the number of letters is 6 or more, subtract 4. if the number is less than 6, add 3. The result is your key number. start at the upper left-hand corner and check each of your key numbers, left to right. Then read the message the checked figures give you.

The Times-Picayune ✦ nola.com ✦ Monday,August 24, 2026 ✦ 7D

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classifieds.nola.com Search & Place Ads Ads Onlines at classifieds.nola.com • Call Monday Us Monday - Friday 8AM - 5PMatat(504) (504)636-7435 636-7435 Search & Place Onlines at classifieds.nola.com - Friday 8AM - 5PM Court for the Parish of Orleans. 198462-Aug 24-26, 3t $186.10

Announcements Anyone knowing or having information regarding the whereabouts of JERMAINE BRISCOE, any of his relatives, friends, heirs, successors, administrators or assigns as well as his surviving spouse, if any, and his heirs, successors, administrators or assigns, if any, please contact Curator Ad Hoc, Shantell Payton, attorney at the Payton Hodges Law Firm, 2237 N. Hullen St., Suite 202, Metairie, LA 70001at (504) 399-1717 or payton@paytonhodgeslaw.com 198433-Aug 22-24, 3t $231.46 Anyone knowing or having information regarding the whereabouts of SHARON AGUILLARD BRISCOE, any of her relatives, friends, heirs, successors, administrators or assigns as well as her surviving spouse, if any, and her heirs, successors, administrators or assigns, if any, please contact Curator Ad Hoc, Shantell Payton, attorney at the Payton Hodges Law Firm, 2237 N. Hullen St., Suite 202, Metairie, LA 70001at (504) 399-1717 or payton@paytonhodgeslaw.com 198431-Aug 22-24, 3t $234.70 Anyone knowing the whereabouts of any person with an interest in Oak Tree Chiropractic, LLC, its members, agents or assigns, please contact James C. Raff at (504) 8281010. Property rights are involved in the 24th Judicial District Court, Jefferson Parish, case no. 877-663. 198443-Aug 22-24, 3t $123.70 Anyone knowing the whereabouts of Aulonka Nixon Davis and/or Donald J. Davis, Sr. please contact Attorney Keith A. Doley at 504-9437071. 198315-Aug 22-24, 3t $77.50 Anyone knowing the whereabouts of Brittani Simms, registered agent of RMGD, L.L.C. please contact Attorney Edwin Lombard at 504-9437071. 198441-Aug 22-24, 3t $73.30 Anyone knowing the whereabouts of Eugene Lee, please contact Trendell M. Shorty, Curator AdHoc/Attorney, 650 Poydras Street, Suite 2515, New Orleans, LA 70130, (504) 207-1370; regarding Gitsit Solutions, LLC, not in its Individual Capacity but solely in its capacity as a separate trustee of GV Trust 20261 v. Lee, Eugene, Suit No. 2026-02915, Civil District Court for the Parish of Orleans. 198459-Aug 24-26, 3t $161.50 Anyone knowing the whereabouts of Jacinta Samikkannu, please contact Trendell M. Shorty, Curator Ad-Hoc/Attorney, 650 Poydras Street, Suite 2515, New Orleans, LA 70130, (504) 207-1370; regarding North Mill Equipment Finance, LLC v. JDMS Enterprises, LLC D/B/A Subway and Jacinta Samikkannu, Suit No. 2026-03340, Civil District

Public Notices

Anyone knowing the whereabouts of James H. Wall, please contact Trendell M. Shorty, Curator AdHoc/Attorney, 650 Poydras Street, Suite 2515, New Orleans, LA 70130, (504) 207-1370; regarding Freedom Mortgage Corporation v. James H. Wall, Suit No. 2025-07196, Civil District Court for the Parish of Orleans. 198464-Aug 24-26, 3t $166.66 Anyone knowing the whereabouts of Jennifer R. Timphony please contact Attorney Marie A. Bookman at (504) 635-0070. 198314-Aug 22-24, 3t $69.10 Anyone knowing the whereabouts of Shalom Weinberger and Georgetown Associates Member, LLC, please contact Attorney Branden Villavaso at 631 St. Charles Ave., New Orleans, LA 70130, (504) 812-1762. 198440-Aug 22-24, 3t $92.20 Brothers Airport, L.L.C., d/b/a Brothers Airport 183 is applying to the Ofﬁce of Alcohol & Tobacco Control of the State of Louisiana for a permit to sell beverages of high and low alcohol content at retail in the Parish of Jefferson at the following address: 1205 Airline Dr., Kenner, LA 70062. Brothers Airport, L.L.C. Brothers Airport 183 Member: Imad Hamdan 198479 Aug. 24 1t $89.50 VRE 1923 F&B, LLC d/b/a Mildreds is applying to the Ofﬁce of Alcohol and Tobacco Control of the State of Louisiana for a permit to sell beverages of high and low alcohol content at retail in the Parish of Orleans at the following address: 1923 St. Charles Ave., Suite A New Orleans, LA 70130 VRE 1923 F&B, LLC Mildreds Manager: Joseph S. Mann 198469 Aug. 24 1t $92.74

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EVERY DAY

PUBLIC NOTICE ---

Public Notices Bids/Proposals

PUBLIC NOTICE --ADVERTISEMENT TO INVITATION TO BID CITY OF NEW ORLEANS SPONSORING DEPARTMENT: DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS TITLE: STREET LIGHT REPAIR SERVICES SOURCING EVENT NO.: 4752 TYPE OF SOLICITATION: PROFESSIONAL SERVICES DBE OPPORTUNITY: YES (35%) RELEASED ON: AUGUST 14, 2026 DEADLINE TO RESPOND: SEPTEMBER 9, 2026 @ 1:00 P.M. PRE-BID CONFERENCE: AUGUST 25, 2026 @ 11:00 A.M. OR TEAMS MEETING ID: 282 304 312 121 00 PASSCODE: QY958QB2 CALL IN: 1 504-356-4110, 695410005#

Dates are subject to changes via an adden‐ dum posted by the Bu‐ reau of Purchasing on the City’s supplier portal. If this solicitation is fed‐ erally funded, prospec‐ tive bidder/respondent must pay particular at‐ tention to all applicable laws and regulations of the Federal government and the State of Louisiana. The Bureau of Purchas‐ ing uses commodity codes to notify suppliers of the release of a sourc‐ ing event and subse‐ quent modifications via addendum. Note that you would receive those noti‐ fications if you selected the following commodity code(s) before the re‐ lease of the sourcing event: COMMODITY CODE(s): 968-76 The City of New Orleans is an equal opportunity employer and strongly encourages minorityowned and womenowned businesses, so‐ cially and economically disadvantaged busi‐ nesses and small busi‐ nesses to respond to this solicitation, or to partici‐ pate in subcontracting opportunities pursuant to this solicitation. Any person with disabilities requires special accom‐ modation must contact the buyer listed within the bid no later than seven (7) days prior to bid opening. For more information about this sourcing event, go to www.nola. gov and click on “BRASS Supplier Portal” under “BIDS & CONTRACTS”. Once on the Supplier Por‐ tal, search “Open Events.” Thank you for your inter‐ est in doing business with the City of New Or‐ leans. James C. Simmons, Jr. Chief Procurement Officer Advertising Dates: August 10, 14, 17 and 24, 2026 NOCP 9209 196716-aug 10-17-24-3t $165.96

Employment BUSINESS OPERATIONS

Bid Advertisement New Orleans African American Museum The New Orleans African American Museum (NOAAM) hereby adver‐ tises an invitation to bid for general contracting services for the renova‐ tion of 1120 N Villere Street, New Orleans, LA 70116, on the greater NOAAM Campus. Complete digital Bid Doc‐ uments are available for the project through City Blueprint & Supply Com‐ pany. Digital versions are available at www.cityblu eprintplans.com. Physi‐ cal copies may be ob‐ tained at the Bidder's ex‐ pense from City Blue‐ print at: 1904 Poydras Street, New Orleans, LA 70112; Phone (504) 2268616. Contractors must hold an active Louisiana Com‐ mercial license appropri‐ ate to the scope of work. Please direct any ques‐ tions to the Architect: Perez, APC 2525 Burgundy Street, New Orleans, LA 70117 Via email: aprevost@e-perez.com; mrobert@e-perez.com There will be a Manda‐ tory Pre-Bid Conference August 20th, 2026 at 12:00 p.m. (CDT) at the New Or‐ leans African American Museum, 1417-1418 Gov‐ ernor Nicholls, New Or‐ leans, LA 70116. Bids must be received on or before September 10th, 2026 at 2:00 p.m. (CDT). Bids can be hand-deliv‐ ered or submitted online www.cityblueprintpl at ans.com. Bids will be read aloud in a public meeting at NOAAM (1417 Gov Nicholls) at that time. NOAAM reserves the right to reject any and all bids and to waive infor‐ malities in the bidding process. 196706-aug 10-17-24-3t $592.81 PUBLIC NOTICE --REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS Procurement of New Bat‐ tery-Electric Hybrid Rub‐ ber Tyred Gantry Con‐ tainer Handling Gantry Cranes Notice is hereby given that the Board of Com‐ missioners of the Port of New Orleans (Board) is requesting the submittal of qualifications from crane manufacturers who can provide new battery-electric hybrid rubber tyred gantry con‐ tainer handling cranes and related parts. All Re‐ quest for Qualifications (RFQ) documents will be available for download via Central Bidding at www.centralbidding.com on Monday, August 24, 2026. The RFQ documents may also be obtained from the SEBconnect App, available on both the Apple and Google play platforms. Written proposals, shall be submitted electroni‐ cally via www.central bidding.com no later than 11:30 AM (CST), on Monday, September 21, 2026, to be considered for the contract. Failure to submit required infor‐ mation by the deadline will cause disqualifica‐ tion and removal from further consideration on this Project. No informa‐ tion may be changed or submitted after the deadline. All questions, correspon‐ dence, inquiries, and other communications regarding this procure‐ h ll b di d

Public Notices Bids/Proposals g g p ment shall be directed to Board of Commissioners of the Port of New Or‐ leans, Procurement De‐ partment, 1350 Port of New Orleans Place, New Orleans, LA 70130 or pro‐ curement@portnola.com no later than 5:00 p.m. (CST) on Friday, Septem‐ ber 11, 2026. Answers to all questions will be pro‐ vided electronically at www.centralbidding.com and on the SEBconnect App, without regard to which proposer submit‐ ted the questions, in the form of an addendum provided to all Respon‐ dents who are listed with the Board as having re‐ ceived the RFQ. The Board shall not be re‐ sponsible for any oral in‐ struction. 198204 Aug. 24, 31, Sept. 8, 2026 3t $89.10

PUBLIC NOTICE --REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS Procurement of New Ship-to-Shore Con‐ tainer Handling Gantry Cranes Notice is hereby given that the Board of Com‐ missioners of the Port of New Orleans (Board) is requesting the submittal of qualifications from crane manufacturers who can provide new ship-to-shore container handling cranes and re‐ lated parts. All Request for Qualifications (RFQ) documents will be avail‐ able for download via Central Bidding at www. centralbidding.com on Monday, August 24, 2026. The RFQ documents may also be obtained from SEBconnect App, the available on both the Apple and Google play platforms. Written proposals, shall be submitted electroni‐ cally via www.central bidding.com no later than 11:30 AM (CST), on Monday, September 21, 2026, to be considered for the contract. Failure to submit required infor‐ mation by the deadline will cause disqualifica‐ tion and removal from further consideration on this Project. No informa‐ tion may be changed or submitted after the deadline. All questions, correspon‐ dence, inquiries, and other communications regarding this procure‐ ment shall be directed to Board of Commissioners of the Port of New Or‐ leans, Procurement De‐ partment, 1350 Port of New Orleans Place, New Orleans, LA 70130 or pro‐ curement@portnola.com no later than 5:00 p.m. (CST) on Friday, Septem‐ ber 11, 2026. Answers to all questions will be pro‐ vided electronically at www.centralbidding.com and on the SEBconnect App, without regard to which proposer submit‐ ted the questions, in the form of an addendum provided to all Respon‐ dents who are listed with the Board as having re‐ ceived the RFQ. The Board shall not be re‐ sponsible for any oral in‐ struction. 198200 Aug. 24, 31, Sept. 8, 2026 3t $87.09

PUBLIC NOTICE --Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans Invitation to Bid 2026-SWB-25 Check and Gate Valves The Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans (Board) is soliciting bids from companies to pur‐ chase Check and Gate valves.

APARTMENT METAIRIE

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10,000 Apt Homes and 75 Locations with Studio, 1, 2 & 3 Bedrooms Pools, Access Gates, Garages (504) 360-9347 APARTMENT 2 Bedroom, Cental A/H, offstreet parking $1200/month 1615 N. Derbigny. Section 8 OK. 504-810-7020

Interested candidates may reach out via email at michelle.appliedit@gmail.com for further information

LEGAL Paralegal, defense litigation, billing experience required. Please email resumes to mcurrault@deutschkerrigan.com

APARTMENT ESPLANADE RIDGE The Carson Company, Inc. 2900 Third St., 1Bd/1Ba.................$700 3953 Delachaise St. (Up), 3/1.......$950 8940 Dinkins St., 2Bds/1Ba...........$995 2300 N. Broad St., 1Bd/1Ba...........$995 2443 N. Robertson St., 2/1...........$1150 5910 Hayne Blvd. Up Front, 4/1..$1295 8904 Olive St., 3Bds/1Ba.............$1350 2503 S. Dorgenois St., 2/1...........$1539 1222 S Salcedo #201, Up 2/1......$1639 4557 Feliciana St, 5Bds/2Bas.....$2500 821-1858 * 822-8432 * 427-4646 APARTMENT Fabulous French Quarter Furnished 1BR $1625. INCLUDING UTILITIES/WIFI. Brand new Bath & Kitchen (Custom Cabinets, SS Appliances). 504-388-2880

Merchandise CEMETERY PLOTS Westlawn Cemetery Mausoleum, in the Chapel. Corr IV, Tier A, holds 6 interments $17,500. 504-259-0505

FARM EQUIPMENT For Sale $2300 ﬁrm: 7ft Heavy Duty Disk, hardly used. Bought at Tractor Supply 985 316-6755.

New Orleans Real Estate For Sale

APARTMENT N.O. EAST * LITTLE WOODS SPECIAL 7819 SANDS STREET * 3 BD/2 BA Central A & H * Fenced Backyard Sec 8 Welcome. No Deposit. $1,200 504-241-6189 * 504-430-1162

APARTMENT WESTBANK * $1300/Mo. 2 Bedrooms, 2 Baths, 4-Car Garage/Workshop. Pets OK. 504-913-4263 APARTMENT WESTBANK * 3 Bedrooms /2.5 Baths, Double Garage, Private Yard. $1,800/Mo. 504-913-4263

HOUSE Algiers-Former Double. 4Brms, 2baths. Great location. Fully fenced. $119,000.00 713-398-6027 elanza@soldbyelanza.com

GENTILLY 2544 ALLEN TOUSSAINT BLVD. NEWLY RENOVATED!!! 1-2 Bdrm Apts * From $800/mo Parking * Sec Gate 504-209-8054 * 504-454-1333

4710 MUSIC STREET, GENTILLY Home For Sale or Rent. $250,000 or $2,000/month. Ready October 1st. Call James 817-891-0453.

KENNER

2850 IDAHO AVENUE 1 Block to Vets & Williams All Amenities * Pool * Parking Studio/1 Bed Apt * Starting $650/Mo 504-385-5482 * 504-454-1333

METAIRIE 3201 RICHLAND AVENUE 1/2 Block off Vets * by Paretti Jaguar 1 Bed * Prkg * Pool * Rent $675/mo 504-320-6958 * 504-454-1333

DOGS AKC Standard Poodles. Black & Parti black & white. Ready to Go. Utd on all shots & worming. Text 228-669-8581 or 228-669-2377.

METAIRIE 3513 EDENBORN AVENUE Lrg 2 Bed, 1 Bath * $925 * Off St Prkg Blocks from Lakeside 504-982-4040 * 504-885-8060 504-454-1333

Shih tzu puppies born 7/4 2026 Register shih tzu puppies girls and boys in Robert La $400.00 985-3503343

Public Notices Bids/Proposals

Invitation to Bid (ITB) will be available August 18, 2026, for download at the following websites: Board: https://www. swbno.org/Bids/ LAPAC:https:// wwwcfprd.doa.louisiana. gov/OSP/LaPAC/dspBid. cfm?search=departm ent&term=181 Fax and email submis‐ sion will not be accepted. Bids will be received by the Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans Procurement Department by September 8, 2026, at 11:00 a.m. (Central Time). For submission instruc‐ tions, see bid docu‐ ments. Bids will be publicly opened on September 8, 2026, at 11:30 a.m. (Cen‐ tral Time) in the Procure‐ ment Conference Room, Rm 131, located at 625 St. Joseph St., New Orleans, Louisiana 70165. Microsoft Teams meeting Join: https://teams. microsoft.com/meet/287 312169024139?p=gz1cy72 CVXA3F1Rt0Q Meeting ID: 287 312 169 024 139 Passcode: H5hF6Kp3 Dial in by phone +1 504-2248698,,733378359# United States, New Orleans Phone conference ID: 733 378 359#

LATE BIDS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED. 197759-AUG 18-24-2T $46.60

PUBLIC NOTICE --The Louisiana Office of State Parks is requesting proposals for a PublicPrivate Partnership pro‐ ject to design, construct, and operate a high-qual‐ ity recreational vehicle campground and related amenities. For more in‐ formation go to opportu‐ nitiesinlouisiana.com. 192988-jul 2-aug 31-t PUBLIC NOTICE --The Lowlander Center (https://www.lowland ercenter.org/) is an‐ nouncing a Request for Proposals (RFP) due Monday, August 31, to deconstruct spoil banks for a Canal Spoil Re‐ placement (Backfilling) Project. Please email admin@lowlandercenter. org with any questions by Tuesday, August 11. All questions and an‐ swers will be posted on the Lowlander Center canal backfilling project page (https://www.low landercenter.org/canalbackfilling) by Tuesday, August 18. Please see the project page for RFP, per‐ mits, plat maps, back‐ ground information about the project, and an informational slidedeck. This project is partially funded by the National Oceanic and Atmos‐ pheric Administration (NOAA), through a grant agreement with the Na‐ tional Fish and Wildlife Foundation, grant award number: NA23NOS4730219. The views and conclusions contained in this docu‐ ment are those of the au‐ thors and should not be interpreted as represent‐ ing the opinions or poli‐ cies of the U.S. Govern‐ ment or the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and its funding sources. Mention of trade names or commercial products does not constitute their endorsement by the U.S. Government, or the Na‐ tional Fish and Wildlife Foundation or its funding sources. 196005-aug 1-31-31t $$4,838.79

Legal Notices

PUBLIC NOTICE --I, GOPU ALEXENDER GUNA SUNDER REDDY, son of Gopu Kishore Reddy, holder of Indian Passport No. W1363805, permanent resident of 646/2, Raghunathpally, Jangaon District (for‐ merly Warangal District), Telangana - 506244, India, and presently residing at 1905 Oak Creek Road, Apt #209, River Ridge, LA 70123, USA, have changed my name to GOPU ALEXENDER GUNA SUNDER REDDY for all legal and future pur‐ poses. My correct sur‐ name is GOPU and my correct given name is ALEXENDER GUNA SUN‐ DER REDDY. Henceforth, I shall be known as GOPU ALEXENDER GUNA SUN‐ DER REDDY. 198385-aug 24-1t $104.54 PUBLIC NOTICE --In accordance with LA RS 47:6007, the production company JTRP HONORS, LLC wrapped production activities on the televi‐ sion show “THE 2025 NFL HONORS” as of FEBRU‐ ARY 10, 2025 IN NEW OR‐ LEANS, LOUISIANA. All/any outstanding cred‐ itor claims should be mailed to the address: JTRP HONORS, LLC., 12400 WILSHIRE BLVD., #1275, LOS ANGELES, CA 90025 by September 18, 2026. 198421-AUG 1-31-SEP 7-3T $187.09 PUBLIC NOTICE --Notice to be posted: Community Leaders Ad‐ vocating Student Suc‐ cess Inc./ Fannie C. Williams Charter School Budget Meeting will be held on Thursday August 27, 2026, at 6:00 p.m. in the school Library, Ad‐ dress: 11755 Dwyer Road New Orleans, LA 70128. Also, you can attend via the zoom link below. The 2026-27 Budget will be approved at the meeting. The Budget is available for viewing in the Busi‐ ness Ofﬁce Monday- Fri‐ day 9a.m. to 3p.m. or you can contact the ofﬁce at 504-373-6228 Ext 7. Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom. us/j/86725218911? pwd=AczazANrSMzvT26 Eo3m1MecDbfG6Ct.1 Meeting ID: 867 2521 8911 Passcode: UFJ0tC 197271-aug 13-27-15t $180.10 PUBLIC NOTICE --→The St John Water Dis‐ trict 3 is currently in vio‐ lation of the treatment technique requirements for minimum residual disinfectant level as set forth by the State (Part XII of the Louisiana State Sanitary Code). Although this incident is not an emergency, as our cus‐ tomers, you have a right to know what happened and what we are doing to correct this situation. → The Louisiana Depart‐ ment of Health (LDH) has determined that the presence of microbiolog‐ ical contaminants is a health concern at certain levels of exposure and requires the disinfection of drinking water to kill disease-causing organ‐ isms. Inadequately treated water may con‐ tain disease-causing or‐ ganisms. These organ‐ isms include bacteria, viruses, and parasites which can cause symp‐ toms such as nausea, cramps, diarrhea, and associated headaches. These symptoms, how‐ j i

Legal Notices

y p ever, are not just associ‐ ated with disease-caus‐ ing organisms in drinking water, but also may be caused by a number of factors other than your drinking water. LDH has set enforceable require‐ ments for treating drink‐ ing water to reduce the risk of these adverse health effects. Treatment such as filtering and dis‐ infecting the water re‐ moves and destroys mi‐ crobiological contami‐ nants. Drinking water which is treated to meet LDH requirements is as‐ sociated with little to none of this risk and should be considered safe. →We are required to monitor your water for the residual disinfectant level. This tells us whether we are effec‐ tively treating the water supply. During the com‐ pliance monitoring peri‐ ods of (06/01/2026) through (06/30/2026), and (07/01/2026) through (07/31/2026), the St John Water District 3 failed to provide the minimum residual disinfectant level in the treated water supplied to customers. The violation occurred because the treated water chlorine residual was less than 0.5 mil‐ ligrams per liter in over five percent of the sam‐ ples collected in the water system in two con‐ secutive months. →You do not need to boil your water or take other corrective actions. How‐ ever, if you have specific health concerns, consult your doctor. →Please share this infor‐ mation with all the other people who drink this water, especially those who may not have re‐ ceived this notice di‐ rectly (for example, peo‐ ple in apartments, nurs‐ ing homes, schools, and businesses). You can do this by posting this no‐ tice in a public place or distributing copies by hand or mail. →After low chlorine residual levels were de‐ tected, the Parish in‐ creased flushing activi‐ ties throughout the water distribution sys‐ tem and conducted addi‐ tional monitoring to track chlorine residual actions levels. These helped improve water circulation and restore disinfectant residuals within the distribution system. While chlorine residuals were below the desired level during this period, all bacteriological samples collected tested negative for bacteria, and the water remained safe for consumption. Follow-up testing con‐ firmed that chlorine residual levels returned to acceptable levels and continued to be routinely monitored. As an addi‐ tional corrective and pre‐ ventative measure, The Parish initiated a systemwide chlorine cleanse on August 4, 2026. This tem‐ porary conversion from chloramine to free chlo‐ rine is being conducted to further improve water quality, clean the distrib‐ ution system, and opti‐ mize disinfectant residu‐ als throughout the sys‐ tem. →For more information, please contact the Utili‐ ties Department at 985651-6800. →This notice is being sent to you by St John Water District 3, PWS ID# LA1095007. Date distributed: August 24, 2026 198176-AUG 24-1T $71.92

NEWS 24/7 ON

Automotive

Pets

WANT TO BUY Cars, Trucks & Camper Trailers. Running or Not in any cond, with or w/out title. 504-508-0087

STAY INFORMED CATS RAGAMUFFIN & RAGDOLL KITTENS www.CatsByFrancy.com/kittens $1500up! Reg. Shots & Guaranty 337-230-3150 CATS Young Male Cat, Gray Colors, Have too many cats, Looking for another home for him. Please call 504-861-9617 ($50)

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THE CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING DEPARTMENT will be closed on NDAY, SEPTEMBER 7th MONDAY in observance of

LABOR DAY

And will be observing the following Early Deadline: Deadline: Display Ads Thursday 9/3 @ 3pm

Run Date Tuesday 9/8 Wednesday 9/9

As always, you may place your ad 7 days a week, 24 hours a day online at www.theadvocate.com or call Monday – Friday 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM

(225) 383-0111

APARTMENT Efﬁciency #E $800. 4327 & 4329 Hollygrove Street: 1 Bedroom. Water Pd $900. 504-313-2192

NOLA.COM/SUBSCRIBE

Public Notices Bids/Proposals

New Orleans Rental

Public Notices Meet/Hear/Min

PUBLIC NOTICE --ReNEW-Reinventing Edu‐ cation will introduce the 2026-27 budget and hold its ﬁrst public hearing on the 2026-27 budget on May 14, 2026 at 5:30 pm at Edgar P Harney Build‐ ing located at 2503 Wil‐ low St., New Orleans, LA 70113 (LA R.S. 39:1307). ReNEW-Reinventing Edu‐ cation is the charter school management or‐ ganization operating ReNEW Laurel Elemen‐ tary, ReNEW Dolores T. Aaron Elementary, ReNEW Schaumburg Ele‐ mentary, and ReNEW Moton Lakefront Elemen‐ tary. A physical copy of the 2026-2027 budget is available at 10001 Lake Forest Blvd., Suite 710, New Orleans, LA 70127. 186911-may 9-aug 27 $956

Public Notices Successions

PUBLIC NOTICE --CIVIL DISTRICT COURT FOR THE PARISH OF OR‐ LEANS STATE OF LOUISIANA SUCCESSION OF GLORIA ELAINE CURET JEE NO. 2021-5145 DIV.”A” NOTICE BY PUBLICATION OF APPLICATION FOR AU‐ THORITY TO SELL IM‐ MOVABLE PROPERTY NOTICE is hereby given that Jeffrey Mark Jee, duly qualiﬁed Executor of the Succession of GLO‐ RIA ELAINE CURET JEE, has made application to the Court for authority to sell Decedent’s full inter‐ est in and to the follow‐ ing immovable property at private sale, to-wit: TWO CERTAIN LOTS OF GROUND, together with all the improvements thereon, and all the rights, ways, privileges, servitudes and advan‐ tages thereunto belong‐ ing or in anywise apper‐ taining, situated in the Seventh District of the City of New Orleans, in that part thereof known as West End Park Subdi‐ vision, designated as Lot Nos. 30 and 31 in Square h l f

Public Notices Successions

q “R” as shown on plan of April 18th, 1930, a blue‐ print of which is annexed to act of sale by Stafford, Derbes & Roy, Inc., to the New Orleans Land Com‐ pany before C. I. Denechaud, Notary Pub‐ lic, dated September 25th, 1930. According to said blueprint, said Square “R” in bounded on the north by Robert E. Lee Boulevard, on the south by the New Or‐ leans-Hammond High‐ way (Route 33) on the west by the East Hazuer Line, and on the east by a line parallel to and dis‐ tant three hundred thirty feet from the State Line (New Basin Canal). Said Lots adjoin each other and measure each twenty feet front on Robert E. Lee Boulevard, by a depth between equal and parallel lines of Ninety-one feet, one inch and seven lines. All in accordance with a recent survey made by R. P. Fontcuberta, Jr., dated June 28, 1995, except that said Square “R” is bounded by West Robert E. Lee Boulevard, Old Hammond Highway side, east Hazeur Lane side, and Regent Street side, and Lot 30 lies nearer to and 420 feet from inter‐ section of West Robert E. Lee Bouleavrd and Re‐ gent Street. Bearing municipal ad‐ dress 260 W. Robert E. Lee Blvd. Being the same property acquired by Gloria Curet Jee from Sandra Jackson McGee by an act dated November 15, 1995, recorded as Instrument No. 1996-08746, Orleans Parish Louisiana.

Any heirs, legatees, and/or creditors of the deceased who oppose the sale must do so within seven (7) days of the last date of publica‐ tion issued. After seven (7) days from the last publication the Court may issue an order au‐ thorizing the sale of the property for the price and sum of Eighty Thou‐ sand and 00/100 ($80,000.00) all cash to seller, at private sale. Attorney: Ryan McBride Bar No. 29332

Address: 3525 N. Cause‐ way Blvd. #801 Metairie, LA 70002 Telephone: (504)265-1705 195793-AUG 3-24-2T $114.72 PUBLIC NOTICE --CIVIL DISTRICT COURT FOR THE PARISH OF OR‐ LEANS STATE OF LOUISIANA NO. 2024-11167 DIVISION “E” SECTION 7 SUCCESSION OF EUGENE JENKINS LEE FILED: __ __________ DEPUTY CLERK NOTICE OF PETITION FOR AUTHORITY TO EXECUTE SETTLEMENT AGREE‐ MENT AND FOR FILING FIRST TABLEAU OF DIS‐ TRIBUTION NOTICE IS GIVEN, that JOAN B. DELATTE and EARLESS ANTHONY BABIN, Co-Administrators of the Succession of Eu‐ gene Jenkins Lee have ﬁled a Petition for Au‐ thority to Execute Settle‐ ment Agreement and for Filing First Tableau of Distribution to pay estate debts, praying for the ho‐ mologation of the First Tableau and for authority to pay the debts of the Estate listed thereon; the First and that Tableau be homologated after the expiration of seven (7) days from the date of publication of this Notice. Any Opposi‐ tion to the Petition for Authority to Execute Set‐ tlement Agreement and For Filing First Tableau of Distribution must be ﬁled prior to homologation. Publication: The TimesPicayune | The New Or‐ leans Advocate Published once Publication: Louisiana Weekly Published once

The

Attorney: David G. Koch KOCH|ST. MARTIN, LLC Address: 201 Napoleon Street, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70802 Telephone: (225) 612-9700 198427-AUG 24-1T $48.97

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8D ✦ Monday,August 24, 2026 ✦ nola.com ✦ The Times-Picayune

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